You'll want to ignore this heart-shattering audio of kids separated from their parents. Don't.

"It is excruciating to listen to."
 By 
Nicole Gallucci
 on 

ProPublica has obtained and released an absolutely heartbreaking audio recording of several children who've been separated from their parents at the border.

The nearly eight-minute long video comes after reports that almost 2,000 immigrant children have been taken from their families and placed in detention centers over a six-week period. The family separations are a result of the Trump administration's new "zero-tolerance" policy, which requires authorities to detain any immigrants who cross the border and take their children into custody. 

In the audio obtained, which was reportedly recorded inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility last week, scared young children can be heard sobbing and shrieking, begging to be reunited with their loved ones. Meanwhile, border patrol agents are heard cracking jokes about the noise, saying, "Well, we have an orchestra here. What we're missing is a conductor."

Since the recording was released on Monday afternoon, people have reacted in sheer horror, devastated by the conditions and emotional trauma these children are having to endure.

Over the past few days many political figures, including former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton have also condemned the zero-tolerance policy.

For more information on how to help families at the border, check out our guide.

Mashable Image
Nicole Gallucci

Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.

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