Melania Trump made a rare statement on a controversial policy issue by weighing in through her spokeswoman on the family separation crisis taking place at America’s borders.
“Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform,” her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN. “She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”
A new Trump administration policy instituted earlier this spring now charges every adult caught crossing the border illegally with federal crimes, instead of just referring those with children to immigration courts, like previous administrations. Since the government is charging the parents in the criminal justice system, any accompanying children are being separated from them, without a clear procedure for where they are being held of for how they will reunited. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents and guardians and placed into holding facilities between April 19 and May 31. President Donald Trump has repeatedly tried to blame the Democrats for the situation, even though it was his administration that instituted the policy change and both his Attorney General and White House spokesperson have defended the practice.
The first lady has made children the focus of her official “Be Best” platform, but this is the first time she has addressed immigration and families.
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