evidence: More in this seriesThroughout the spring of 2018, as the number of family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border exploded, President Donald Trump's administration insisted that the government took thousands of kids from their parents because the families had committed a federal crime. [...] Spokesmen for ICE and Customs and Border Protection declined to comment, citing pending litigation. But the court documents in a case called Ms. L vs. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) show that this happened to dozens of others. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in February, mentions at least 40 other examples of families who were separated at the border, even though they weren't prosecuted for crossing illegally. Ms. L and her young daughter presented themselves to border agents at a bridge between Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego last year and were separated anyway. [...] In past statements, the government has claimed it would only separate families at ports of entry if it's not sure of the familial relationship, or is worried about issues like child abuse.