Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., discusses his visit to inspect a shelter in Homestead, Fla., this weekend that houses children forcibly taken from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 25, 2018. Nelson said he will question Health and Human Services Sec. Alex Azar about the children when he appears Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., discusses his visit to inspect a shelter in Homestead, Fla., this weekend that houses children forcibly taken from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, June 25, 2018. Nelson said he will question Health and Human Services Sec. Alex Azar about the children when he appears Tuesday before the Senate Finance Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Credit: J. Scott Applewhite

Washington — The number of migrant children in custody after being separated from their parents barely dropped since last week, even as Trump administration said it’s doing everything possible to expedite family reunification.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told senators at a hearing on Tuesday that his agency currently has 2,047 migrant children — or six fewer than the total HHS count last week.

Confusion reigned, with officials later telling reporters on a conference call they couldn’t provide complete numbers because they are focused on reuniting families.

Democratic lawmakers told Azar it doesn’t seem like much progress is being made on reuniting families, even after President Donald Trump scaled back his “zero tolerance” policy on the southwest border.

“HHS, Homeland Security, and the Justice Department seem to be doing a lot more to add to the bedlam and deflect blame than they’re doing to tell parents where their kids are,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Azar suggested at one point that parents share the blame.

“It’s not a desirable situation to have children separated from their parents,” he said. “Listen, to be upfront, if the parents didn’t bring them across illegally this would never happen.”

Many parents have trekked north from Central America fleeing rampant violence in their countries, saying they fear for their lives and their children’s lives, and claiming asylum under U.S. laws and policies.

The current total of 2,047 in HHS shelters compares to the 2,053 the agency reported as of Wednesday of last week.

Azar didn’t say whether additional children had been transferred to HHS in the meantime.

For years the department has housed unaccompanied minors who cross the border, but handling large numbers of separated kids presents new challenges.

It’s still unclear how many children who were separated from their parents have been in government custody.

That’s partly because Customs and Border Protections can also hold children for brief periods.