US officials say girl on Time mag cover isn't separated from mom

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Border Patrol officials said today a girl who is pictured on the cover of this week's Time magazine was not separated from her mother, despite the poignant image of the child standing alone, weeping.

Time attached a correction to the story, saying "The original version of this story misstated what happened to the girl in the photo after she (was) taken from the scene. The girl was not carried away screaming by U.S. Border Patrol agents; her mother picked her up and the two were taken away together."

The Time caption says the photo was taken when the girl and her mother were apprehended by Border Patrol officers on June 12 and the mother was being searched "before being sent to a processing center for possible separation."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the mother, Sandra Sanchez, is currently housed at one of the government's three family detention facilities at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, 230 miles north of McAllen.

ICE would not provide information on the girl citing privacy reasons of juveniles.

Sanchez, 32, was arrested by Border Patrol agents while traveling with the little girl under the zero-tolerance policy that criminally charges anyone caught crossing the border illegally.

She was transferred to ICE custody June 17, according to a statement from ICE. Her immigration case is ongoing.

The agency said in a statement she had been previously deported to Honduras in 2013, and she had illegally re-entered. ICE did not comment on the girl, citing privacy reasons. It's not clear what will happen to her daughter, who is almost 2 years old, but immigration officials have said the goal would be to keep the family together even if they are deported.