More than a dozen states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its separation of migrant children and parents at the US-Mexico border, saying US President Donald Trump's order last week ending the breakups was illusory. The family separations began because of the administration's two-month-old "zero tolerance" policy of seeking to prosecute all adults who cross the border illegally, including those traveling with children. But Trump backtracked last Wednesday amid outrage spurred by images of children being held in cages. In an executive order ending the family separations, Trump did not explain how his immigration policies could be adjusted to keep families intact and house them while their legal status is assessed. "I cannot reunite them while the parents are in custody because the court order doesn't allow kids to be with their parents for more than 20 days," Azar said.