Melania criticises ‘heartless’ border law
Melania Trump appeared to criticise her husband’s administration yesterday for separating illegal immigrant families at the Mexico border, calling on the United States to show “heart”. More than 2,000 children have been removed from their parents over the past six weeks since Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, introduced a “zero-tolerance” approach. Under the policy, adults are being detained and prosecuted, with their children sent to separate shelters.
MELANIA TRUMP appeared to criticise her husband’s administration for separating illegal immigrant families at the Mexico border, calling on the United States to show “heart”.
More than 2,000 children have been removed from their parents over the past six weeks since Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, introduced a “zero-tolerance” approach.
Under the policy adults are being detained and prosecuted with their children sent to separate shelters.
Previously, many illegal immigrants were allowed to remain at liberty while they awaited proceedings.
A spokeswoman for the first lady said: “Mrs Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform.
“She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws but also a country that governs with heart.”
It was a rare intervention from Mrs Trump, who immigrated to the United States legally from her native Slovenia, and campaigns on behalf of children.
But who Mrs Trump blamed for the situation was unclear. It was also possible she was backing her husband’s claim that Democrats were responsible.
The comment came amid a growing uproar over the detention of minors, including hundreds being held at a former Walmart superstore in Texas.
Mr Trump has blamed the situation on Democrats, accusing them of pursuing a “horrible and cruel legislative agenda”, and saying that he “hates to see separation of parents and children”.
Yesterday, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, further distanced the White House from responsibility. Mrs Conway said: “As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who’s got a conscience, I will tell you that nobody likes this policy.
“Congress passed the law that it is a crime to enter this country illegally. So if they don’t like that law, they should change it.”
Republicans and Democrats in Congress also criticised the policy.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine accused the White House of trying to send a message “that if you cross the border with children, your children are going to be ripped away from you”.
She added: “That’s traumatising to the children who are innocent victims and it is contrary to our values in this country.” Democrats accused Mr Trump of using the separation of families as a negotiating tool to secure funding for his proposed border wall in future immigration legislation.
Adam Schiff, a Democrat congressman, said the administration was “using the grief, the tears, the pain of these kids as mortar to build the wall. It’s an effort to extort a bill to their liking in the Congress.”
Mr Trump is due to hold meetings with Republicans in Congress tomorrow and there is expected to be a vote on an immigration bill next week.
Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s former chief strategist, defended the separation of families at the border.
He said: “We ran on a policy, very simply, stop mass illegal immigration and limit legal immigration, get our sovereignty back, and to help our workers. And so he went to a zero-tolerance policy.”
‘Mrs Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform’