Sessions: Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ architect
Attorney general firm in face of opposition
WASHINGTON – As Trump administration officials have sought to deflect criticism of the highly controversial separations of immigrant parents from their children, one voice has never wavered: Jeff Sessions.
The architect of the administration’s “zero tolerance policy,” the attorney general has been the most forceful and consistent advocate for the strategy in the face of a growing political firestorm.
After announcing the policy last month in the shadow of California’s busiest border crossing, Sessions has been an unflinching crusader, even as opponents have called it immoral.
As recently as Monday, Sessions went on the offensive again, warning prospective immigrants that they faced harsh treatment if they try to cross the southern border with their children.
Under the policy, adults suspected of crossing the U.S. border illegally are sent to federal jails or other detention centers to await prosecution. If children are accompanying them, the kids are placed in the custody of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, because children cannot be held in adult facilities.
“We do not want to separate children from their parents,” Sessions told the National Sheriffs’ Association. “We do not want adults to bring children into this country unlawfully, placing them at risk. But we do have a policy of prosecuting adults who flout our laws to come here illegally instead of waiting their turn or claiming asylum at See SESSIONS, Page 2A