WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump, facing domestic and international backlash, signed an executive order Wednesday to end the administration's controversial practice of separating migrant children from parents crossing the US border illegally.

The move comes as the practice, as a result of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy against illegal immigration, has aroused outrage and sharp criticism from both home and abroad in recent days, denounced as cruel, inhuman.

Trump's order, drafted by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, directs her department to keep families together after they are detained for illegal border-crossing.

Speaking from the Oval Office at the White House, Trump said that he "didn't like the sight or the feeling" of the divided families.

His executive order would keep most families together during the process of prosecution and deportation at the border, except in cases where an adult may pose a threat to a child. Families will also be prioritized in the adjudication process.

It also directs other agencies, including the Pentagon, to take steps to find places to house family units. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said his department will "respond if requested" to house detained migrants.