Time cover: Photo of little girl crying at border, Trump illustrates immigration debate

The photo of the girl was taken by John Moore, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer for Getty Images, Time said when announcing the cover. Moore has taken photos of immigrants crossing into the United States for the past few years.

Moore told the publication, "This one was tough for me. As soon as it was over, they were put into a van. I had to stop and take deep breaths."

The girl started crying when Border Patrol agents put the girl's mother on the ground to search her last week, Moore told NPR.

The mother and child had been trying to get to the United States from Honduras for a month, Moore said.

He said that the mother and child were not separated at the border, but rather, both got into a van and were taken away, NPR reported.

CNN reported that a government spokesperson told them that the girl and her mother were not separated, but did not give any additional details.

Credit: John Moore

Credit: John Moore

They were being transported to a processing center in Texas, CNN reported.

Almost 2,000 children of undocumented immigrants crossing the border were separated from the adults who brought them from April to May, Department of Homeland Security officials told CNN.

The Trump administration said that anyone crossing the border illegally will be held for prosecution as part of the government's "zero-tolerance" policy on immigration, no matter if they have small children or claim asylum, CNN reported.

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Because of the uproar, not only over the policy, but also the image of the tearful girl, Time created a photo illustration depicting the girl and Trump for its July 2, 2018, cover story. It includes the words, “Welcome to America.”

Trump reversed the practice of removing children from families of undocumented immigrants caught crossing the border through an executive order he signed on Wednesday. The order, however, will continue the "zero-tolerance" policy for undocumented migrants.