19 June 2018 09:52 am
First lady Melania Trump on Sunday criticized the US policy of separating parents and children illegally entering the country, a topic that has been the focus of intense media scrutiny in recent weeks.
“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.”
The policy has reportedly resulted in almost 2,000 children being separated from their parents during a six-week period ending last month.
US media was quick to note that Melania Trump’s statement echoed the words of her husband President Donald Trump, who has wrongly blamed Democrats for
the policy.
“The Democrats should get together with their Republican counterparts and work something out on Border Security & Safety,” the president tweeted in the hours after his
wife’s statement. However, the policy was introduced earlier this year by the Trump administration and does not need cooperation from Democrats in Congress to be reversed. - Washington (dpa)