The top Democrats on the House and Senate judiciary committees are calling on the Trump administration to turn over an unredacted copy of the memo it used to justify its controversial "zero-tolerance" policy of separating immigrant families caught crossing the border illegally.

In a letter sent Friday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Kirstjen Michele NielsenMore than million in DHS contracts awarded to firm of acting secretary's wife: report DHS IG won't investigate after watchdog said Wolf, Cuccinelli appointments violated law Appeals court sides with Trump over drawdown of immigrant protections MORE, Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel FeinsteinFeinstein 'surprised and taken aback' by suggestion she's not up for Supreme Court fight Democrats shoot down talk of expanding Supreme Court Biden leads Trump by 12 points among Catholic voters: poll MORE (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said they had been made aware that Nielsen’s office received an internal memo on April 23 outlining options for how to prosecute more parents for immigration violations.

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Feinstein and Nadler said the memo stated that DHS could “permissibly direct the separation of parents” and included a footnote stating a full legal analysis of the family separation option was attached.

“The versions of this memo that are publicly available are heavily redacted or unsigned,” they wrote.

“The legal analysis justifying family separation included as an attachment to the memo is currently unavailable to the public.”

Feinstein and Nadler are asking DHS to turn over an unredacted copy of the signed memo and all attachments, including the legal analysis on family separation cited in footnote five.

They noted that the memo contradicts Nielsen's remarks to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in May, when she said DHS had no such separation policy.