Rep. Jim Himes held a panel discussion Monday after visiting the border over the weekend.

Himes went to three immigrant detention facilities Saturday to see children and parents who are separated from each other.

Himes spoke about what he saw in Texas and was joined by a panel of experts at Stepping Stones Museum in Norwalk Monday morning.

He says many of the parents he spoke to do not even know where their children are..

"It is still a morally repugnant situation,” says Himes. “If you have people who have been separated from their children and it's not an absolute priority to make sure that, at a minimum, mom or dad knows where the child is, that is a brutal situation." 

Himes says people seeking asylum are not criminals, as the White House is leading people to believe. He says he's unsure of what will happen following the executive order to halt separating families.

Officials say more than 2,500 children were taken away from their parents in almost two months. The Department of Homeland Security says more than 500 children have been reunited with their parents since the process began, with another 16 more reunions underway.