Melania Trump slams America’s new ‘zero tolerance’ policy of separating kids from illegal immigrant parents as The Donald ties to blame Democrats
MELANIA Trump yesterday criticised the US Immigration policy of splitting up families who illegally enter the country after her husband blamed Democrats for the situation at the border.
The First Lady made a rare entry into the political fray saying she "hates to see children separated from their families".
Adults who enter the US outside official crossing points are placed in custody and can face criminal prosecution for illegally entering the country.
This has resulted in hundreds of children being kept in detention centres separately from their parents who are held with the other adults.
Her comments come after President Trump attempted to shift the blame onto his Democrat opponents in a tweet.
He wrote: “Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!
“This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!”
Following the tweet Melania made a rare statement saying the American people needed a country that "governs with a heart".
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has faced criticism for using the Bible to defend the policy after quoting from the New Testament.
He said on Thursday: "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.
"Our policy that can result in short-term separation of families is not unusual or unjustified."
President George W. Bush’s wife, Laura, also penned a scathing attack on the policy in the branding it “cruel and immoral”.
Both sets of comments come on the heels of increasing controversy over the “zero-tolerance” approach to illegal migration.
Pictures have emerged of families in immigration facilities in the border state of Texas which saw children and parents sleeping in cages under foil blankets.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has also called on the US to end its "unconscionable" policy to "punish" and separate children from migrant parents entering the country.
What has Melania Trump said?
The First Lady "hates" to see families separated at the border and hopes "both sides of the aisle" can reform the nation's immigration laws, according to a statement from her office.
Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Mrs Trump, said: ";She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart."
She said Melania hopes both sides "can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform".
Mrs Trump didn't specifically mention her husband's "no tolerance" policy, which has lead to a spike in children being separated from their families.
What has Laura Bush said?
Former First Lady Laura Bush called the separation policy "cruel" and "immoral" adding that "it breaks my heart".
In a guest column for the Washington Post, she compared the separation of the children to the internment camps for Japanese-Americans in World War II.
Referring to images that have emerged of illegal immigrants being housed in cages she wrote: "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert.
"These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War Two, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in US history.”
Who introduced the policy?
Where the blame for separating immigrant children from their parents lies is currently unclear.
The President tweeted over the weekend: “Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!
“This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!”
BIBLE TALK What New Testament verse did Jeff Sessions cite to defend the policy?
JEFF Sessions used a Bible verse to defend the Trump administration clamping down on illegal immigration.
The Attorney General cited a verse from Romans during a question and answer event in Indiana.
He said: "I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.
"Our policy that can result in short-term separation of families is not unusual or unjustified."
The verse itself reads: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
However critics of the administration have said the reason for kids being taken from their parents is due to the fact that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has decided to prosecute first-offenses as felonies and not misdemeanours - as the Obama and Bush administrations had.
Felonies are the most serious category of offence in the US.
Is the policy cutting illegal immigration?
The number of people attempting to enter the States via the Southern border with Mexico has been climbing in recent years.
Sessions acknowledged this fact last week saying that the current trends “must end”.
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In the first two weeks of the "zero-tolerance" approach, 658 minors were separated from the adults that travelled with them, according to US border officials.
In many of the cases, the families have been reunited after the parent was released from detention.
But there are some reports of people being kept apart for weeks and even months.
In May a total of 40,344 people were apprehended between ports of entry on the Southwest Border, compared with 38,278 in April and 37,385 in March according to official figures.
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