I’ll help reunite families, vows first lady during visit to detention centre
Melania Trump flies into Texas after lobbying her husband on migrant policy, and causes row over jacket
MELANIA TRUMP made a surprise visit to the Mexican border yesterday, where she met children who had been separated from their parents under her husband’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy.
Before her unannounced trip, the First Lady had privately lobbied Donald Trump to end a process which has led to at least 2,300 minors being removed from their parents in recent weeks after the families crossed into the US illegally.
Photographs of youngsters in detention caused a backlash among senior Republicans and world leaders this week.
Mrs Trump’s trip, which was seen as an implicit criticism of her husband’s policy, came days after she said she “hated” seeing families separated.
Mrs Trump visited the Upbring New Hope Children’s Centre, run by Lutheran Social Services, which houses 55 children. Six of those had been separated from their families, the rest crossed the border on their own.
Mrs Trump told staff: “I’m glad I’m here and I’m looking forward to seeing the children. I want to thank you for hard work, your compassion and the kindness you give them in these difficult times; the heroic work you do every day. I’d like to ask you how I can help to reunite these children with their families as soon as possible.”
She spent more than an hour at the facility, a former nursing home, observing lessons in three classrooms and telling the youngsters, aged 12 to 17, to “be kind and nice to other, OK?” Most of the children were from Guatemala and some were learning how to celebrate US Independence Day on July 4.
Stephanie Grisham, Mrs Trump’s spokesman, said the visit was “one hundred per cent her idea”. She added: “She told him [Mr Trump] ‘I’m headed down to Texas,’ and he supported it. She wanted a realistic view.” As she arrived at a military airport near Washington, before heading to Texas, Mrs Trump wore a jacket with ‘I Really Don’t Care, Do U?’ written in large letters on the back.
When she arrived in Texas, the First Lady was no longer wearing the $39 (£29) jacket from Zara. It was unclear if anyone on her staff had pointed out the words might seem inappropriate. In response to the confusion around the messaging on his wife’s jacket, Mr Trump said on Twitter last night: ““I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly no longer cares!”
John Sandweg, President Barack Obama’s former immigration enforcement chief, said some of the families may never be reunited. The father of a twoyear-old Honduran girl, who became the face of the crisis after being photographed crying, said she was being detained with her mother.
Denis Javier Varela Hernandez, 32, said his daughter Yanela was with his wife Sandra in a shelter. He said photographs of Yanela crying had broken his heart.
At the White House, Mr Trump said: “My wife is down at the border now because it really bothered her to be looking at what was going on. It bothered me; it bothered everybody.”
Amid the backlash, Mr Trump issued an executive order on Wednesday ending family separations. The Justice Department said reports that illegal immigrants would no longer be prosecuted in criminal courts if they had children were wrong.
Mr Trump blamed Democrats and Mexico for the growing numbers of young people illegally crossing the border. He said: “The minors really come up with coyotes, people smugglers. The coyotes are bad dudes, they’re using these children. These are not good people. The Democrats want us to run the most luxurious hotel in the world for everybody, but they won’t give us the money.” Last night, a Republican immigration bill failed in Congress.
A vote on a more moderate compromise bill, which would also include funding for Mr Trump’s proposed border wall, was postponed until today.