In rare rebuke, Ivanka Trump calls family separations ‘a low point’
Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and senior adviser, called the administration’s immigration enforcement policy that led to more than 2,500 family separations along the southern border a “low point” that she felt “very strongly about.”
Trump has remained mostly silent on immigration throughout her father’s presidency, weighing in only when asked about the topic during public appearances. That’s what happened Thursday when she was asked at an Axios event about the family separations that prompted President Donald Trump to sign an executive order curtailing the practice and led a federal judge to order that all the families be reunited.
“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.”
Her criticism ended there as she went on to explain that illegal immigration is a complex issue that requires tough decisions from the U.S. government. She talked about being the daughter of an immigrant, referring to her mother, Ivana Trump, who emigrated to the USA from Czechoslovakia. She made clear that “we are a country of laws” and said her mother entered the country legally.
She warned about the decisions parents in other countries make to send their children to the USA: “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 or making an incredibly dangerous journey alone.”
In the family separation crisis, parents and children were illegally crossing into the USA together and were separat- ed by U.S. immigration agents.
“These are incredibly difficult issues,” Trump said. “And like the rest of the country, I experience them in an emotional way.”
When asked about Ivanka Trump’s statements Thursday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders downplayed any internal disagreements, saying father and daughter both believe the solution to the problem lies solely with Congress.
“The president himself has stated that he doesn’t like the idea of family separation,” Sanders said. “We also don’t like the idea of open borders. ... We want to secure the borders. We want to change the law. It’s Congress’ job to do that.”
Thursday’s comments were rare for Trump’s daughter. First lady Melania Trump visited the southern border twice and drew criticism over a jacket she wore on the first trip.
U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, who had ordered the administration to reunite all the families, is scheduled to hold another hearing in San Diego on Friday to get an update from the government on its work. More than 1,400 children have been reunited under Sabraw’s order, but more than 700 remain separated because their parents either were deported or the government raised concerns about their parents.