Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Thursday lashed out at President Donald Trump during the presidential debate over the separation of families at the US border with Mexico, and termed it as ‘criminal’.

American Civil Liberties Union in a court filing earlier this week stated that 545 children were separated from their parents, who could not be located. This happened under the US immigration policy, the filing stated.

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“These 500 plus kids came with parents,” Biden said after Trump suggested that they came via cartels from Mexico.

“Those kids are alone. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to go. It’s criminal,” Biden said, adding that this makes the US a laughingstock and “violates every notion of who we are as a nation”.

Moderator Kristen Welker asked Trump what his administration is doing to reunite the kids with their parents. 

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To this, the President replied, “They (the children) are so well taken care of. They are in facilities that were so clean.”