Donald Trump's executive order to 'keep families together' will not reunite children with parents, official warns

Donald Trump’s executive order to stop the separation of families at the US border will not ensure those already a part will be reunited, an official has claimed.

The president signed the order on Wednesday following outrage over his controversial practice of separating children from their parents.

But government officials have since said it will not go far enough to help those already affected, and that the process for them will “proceed as usual”.

Health and Human Services spokesman Kenneth Wolfe told CNN: "For the minors currently in the unaccompanied alien children program, the sponsorship process will proceed as usual."

In a separate interview with the New York Times, Wolfe said there would be no "grandfathering of existing cases" under the order.

The US leader said at the White House upon signing the executive order that he doesn't like the sight of children being separated from their families.

He said: "We are keeping families together." But the president added the "zero tolerance" policy will continue.

The harsh rules were introduced in order to deter illegal immigrants, but pictures of children crying as their parents were detained were widely seen and condemned.

Vice President Mike Pence said the President will be calling upon Congress to change the laws.

Mr Trump adds that the word "compassion" comes into it.

Earlier, Mr Trump stressed that the country will "still have to maintain toughness or our country will be overrun by people, by crime".

The drastic policy change comes after Mr Trump blamed the "Fake News" media and Democrats in a series of tweets defending his "zero tolerance" stance on immigration.