PROVO, Utah (AP) — A Guatemalan man who fled his country to seek asylum after he was kidnapped and extorted says he lived through anguish when he was separated from his then-2-year-old daughter for seven days at the U.S.-Mexico border last fall.

Romulo Gonzalez Rodriguez's experience happened months before President Donald Trump's administration in April adopted a "zero tolerance" policy in which all unlawful border crossings are referred for prosecution. But it offers a window into the distress and uncertainty parents endure when they are separated from their children at the border.

Gonzalez and his daughter, Genesis Gonzalez Lopez, are now in Utah awaiting word on his asylum request.

He and his attorney say immigration authorities never explained why they were separated.

A spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn't immediately offer any comment on the case.