IVANKA DOCTRINE
Calls separation of kids at border a ‘low point’ but says immigration is ‘complex’ issue
If the separation of immigrant families was a “low point” for Ivanka Trump, she didn't exactly respond by going high.
The First Daughter has remained mostly mum on immigration issues throughout her father's presidency, including the Trump administration policy that resulted in thousands of families being ripped apart along the southern border. With many children still waiting to be reunited with their parents, the mother of three parted with President Trump and came out against family separations Thursday during an interview at an Axios Newsmakers event.
“That was a low point for me,” she said. “I feel very strongly about that. I am very vehemently against family separation and the separation of parents and children.”
The Trump administration last week said it reunited 1,442 children with their parents, though 2,551 children were initially identified to have been taken from their parents amid the zerotolerance immigration policy, which mandated all those caught crossing the border illegally be referred for criminal prosecution.
Another 378 were placed with parents or sponsors already in the United States or turned 18 while in custody.
While Ivanka has often been heralded as a champion for children and parents — she's been an ongoing advocate for paid family leave — she was silent on the matter until President Trump reversed his policy in June and signed an executive order to keep parents and children crossing the border together.
“Thank you @POTUS for taking critical action ending family separation at our border. Congress must act now + find a lasting solution that is consistent with our shared values; the same values that so many come here seeking as they endeavor to create a better life for their families,” she tweeted.
Ivanka Trump on Thursday cited her own family history in her stance against the policy while emphasizing that immigration is “incredibly complex” and “illegal immigration is incredibly complicated.”
“I am the daughter of an immigrant, my mother grew up in Communist Czech Republic, but we are a country of laws,” she said. “She came to this country legally and we have to be very careful about incentivizing behavior that puts children at risk of being trafficked, at risk of entering this country with coyotes, of making an incredibly dangerous journey alone. These are incredibly difficult issues and like the rest of the country, I experienced them myself in a very emotional way.”
The eldest Trump daughter reportedly met with her father to discuss images and audio from the border that prompted widespread critique back in June.
“She offered the President her support and she said she would talk to any member of Congress to help find a legislative solution,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told CNN at the time.
Her response Thursday, or lack thereof, is not the first time Ivanka has faced backlash for her comments regarding immigration and policy. During Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit last October, Ivanka similarly sparked disappointment when she dodged a question about how the government should handle the nearly 800,000 beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — a program her father had hoped to end.
“That is a very complicated issue that needs a long-term congressional fix,” she said to eye-rolls and murmurs from the audience, according to CNN.
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who ordered the administration reunite families, is slated to hold another hearing in San Diego on Friday to get an update on the government's efforts of the matter.