Viral photo of girl crying reportedly fake, child was never separated from her mother

A girl shown in a photo crying as a U.S. Border Patrol agent detained her mother, was never separated from her mom. However, the photo has gone viral and has been incorrectly shown to depict that she was separated.

According to the Honduran girl’s father, the Honduran government, and multiple news agencies, the 2-year-old girl’s mother was detained in Texas, but the two were never separated. According to the father, the girl’s mother Sandra Sanchez left without telling him she was taking the girl with her and he couldn’t contact her. He later saw the picture, taken by Getty Images photographer John Moore, on the news. Sanchez was previously deported in 2013. He says he is upset at his wife for taking his child on a “dangerous journey.”

According to the Border Patrol agent involved in the incident, he says the photo might be a little misleading. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed to CBS News the mother and daughter are being housed together at a facility and her immigration proceedings are ongoing.

Border Patrol agent Carlos Ruiz told CBS News that he was the first to encounter Sandra Sanchez and her daughter after they allegedly crossed the Rio Grande River into Texas illegally late one night. “We asked her to set the kid down in front of her, not away from her, she was right in front of her…So we can properly search the mother,” Ruiz said. “So the kid immediately started crying as she set her down. I personally went up to the mother and asked her ‘Are you doing OK? Is the kid OK?’ and she said, ‘Yes. She’s tired and thirsty. It’s 11 o’clock at night.'”

Moore’s photo is now on the cover of Time magazine next to a picture of President Trump. “They’re using it to symbolize a policy and that was not the case in this picture,” Ruiz said. “It took less than two minutes. As soon as the search was finished, she immediately picked the girl up, and the girl immediately stopped crying.” Moore says Ruiz and other agents acted professionally that night.

Ruiz said he and his fellow agents represent more than just the Border Patrol logo. “We are also fathers, we are also sons, we are also have families, and we do care, and we do our jobs, and we treat these people as humanely and as best as we possibly can,” Ruiz said.

After news broke out that the Time photo was misleading, many across the internet re-edited it for themselves.