New York Daily News

No wardrobe dysfunctio­n

- BY DENIS SLATTERY With News Wire Services

A message-free Melania Trump wants the world to know she cares.

The First Lady made her way back toward the Mexican border Thursday to visit immigratio­n facilities in Arizona amid the uproar over her husband's contentiou­s immigratio­n policies.

Unlike her trip to Texas last week, Trump toned down the wardrobe drama — choosing a simple, longsleeve­d black shirt and white slacks leaving her controvers­ial coat and its cryptic “I really don't care, do u?” statement at the White House.

She participat­ed in a round table discussion with Border Patrol, Immigratio­n and Customs Enforcemen­t officials, U.S. Marshals and a local rancher, according to pool reports.The First Lady also toured an intake center housing migrants apprehende­d at the Mexican border as well as an intelligen­ce center near Tucson.

"I'm here to support you and give my help, whatever I can," on "behalf of children and the families," Trump told the group of authoritie­s.

The First Lady was later met by protesters and a giant balloon resembling her husband dressed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit outside of Southwest Key Campbell, a Health and Human Services facility housing immigrant children outside of Phoenix.

“I wanted to come here and see your facility and meet the children,” Trump told officials at the center. “Let me know what I can do to help you.”

Trump visited a classroom that had children's paintings, the alphabet and classroom rules hanging on the walls.

One painting depicted words among trees, including "diversidad," ''familia" and "diversity."

The trip comes as President Trump deals with swelling national outrage over his administra­tion's “zero tolerance” immigratio­n policy. The approach has led to thousands of children being ripped from their families after entering the U.S. from Mexico.

The President signed an executive order last week allowing children to be detained with their parents, but exactly how officials will carry out the directive remains unclear.

The order does not address the reunificat­ion of families already separated and migrant children are not allowed to be detained for more than 20 days at a time. A federal judge in California has ordered the government to reunite families as quickly as possible.

Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump's spokeswoma­n, told reporters that the First Lady is "anxious to learn how they're implementi­ng the new process.”

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