The U.S. administration is bringing forward immigration hearings for deportations of migrant children in custody by weeks or even months in a bid to accelerate the process, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing administration officials and lawyers for the children.

The report said children as young as four had to repeatedly appear in court and provide updates on the status of their case, at times without legal help, within a matter of weeks.

Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement to Reuters that many of the children were at risk of trafficking and exploitation, and some were brought over the border by cartels under dangerous and coercive conditions.

"Moving cases forward helps disrupt those networks and ensures children are returned to safe environments as quickly as possible," Nixon said in a statement.

President Donald Trump's administration has embarked on a suite of initiatives including measures to track down hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children, cut legal aid for unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings and issue directives to restrict birthright citizenship among others.

Trump's policies toward immigration have been among the most contentious aspects of both his terms as president, with critics accusing him of racial and religious discrimination in his approach.

-Kanjyik Ghosh in Barcelona and Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Heavens/Reuters