HOUSTON –  The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the U.S. government of broadly separating immigrant families seeking asylum.

The lawsuit filed Friday follows action the ACLU took in the case of a Congolese woman and her 7-year-old daughter, who were being held in separate immigration facilities 2,000 miles (3,200 miles) apart.

The woman was released Tuesday from a San Diego detention center. The 7-year-old remains at a Chicago facility for unaccompanied immigrant children.

Immigrant advocates accuse the Trump administration of systematically separating parents and children seeking asylum to deter people from coming to the United States.

Administration officials acknowledge they have separated some families but say they do not have a broad policy.