The list of celebrities upset by US border policy grows
NEW YORK — Country music icon Willie Nelson has extended an offer to meet President Donald Trump at one of the detention centers at the U.S.-Mexico border to better understand what’s happening, the latest attempt by a celebrity hoping to end the administration’s policy of separating families at border crossings.
John Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, have donated and raised $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union. Ellen DeGeneres tweeted a link to groups fighting the policy. And Kate Walsh has pleaded with critics to call their senators and demand a change.
The separations stem from a policy that turns all cases of people trying to enter the country illegally over for criminal prosecution. Trump has defended the policy, which has taken nearly 2,000 immigrant children away from their parents.
Stars like Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Alyssa Milano, Mark Hamill, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Judd Apatow, Kumail Nanjiani, Piper Perabo and Common have denounced the policy. Oprah Winfrey wrote to her 42.7 million followers: “Babies torn from their parents. Can’t stand it!”
The appeals from celebrities come a few weeks after reality TV star Kim Kardashian West visited the White House to press her case to pardon a woman serving a life sentence for drug offenses. Trump later did.
A new avenue opened when “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane and then Apatow called on Fox TV show creators and stars to speak out against Fox News’ coverage of the border issue, which has tended to be supportive of Trump’s stance.
“Modern Family” co-creator Steve Levitan also weighed in, saying he was “disgusted to work at a company that has anything whatsoever to do with” Fox News. Filmmaker and writer Paul Feig wrote that he supported Fox’s film and TV divisions but “cannot condone the support their news division promotes toward the immoral and abusive policies and actions taken by the current administration.”