First lady Melania Trump returns to border region for second visit with immigrant families
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Melania Trump returned to the border Thursday to meet face-to-face with those dealing with her husband’s hardline immigration policies firsthand. (June 28)
AP
TUCSON, Ariz. — First lady Melania Trump made her second visit to the southern border region Thursday, aiming to project a more compassionate view toward separated immigrant families as President Donald Trump pushes ahead with his crackdown on illegal immigration.
In Tucson, Melania Trump visited a Customs and Border Patrol facility to learn firsthand how those on the front lines – Border Patrol officers, immigration agents, migrant families, social workers and residents – deal with immigrant children. Most of those children crossed the border by themselves, but more than 2,000 were separated from their parents under the administration’s “zero tolerance†policy for undocumented border crossers.
The first lady also made a stop in Phoenix.
“She wants to learn from the people on the front lines at the border,†said Stephanie Grisham, the first lady’s spokeswoman.
White House officials hoped for a do-over of last week’s trip to McAllen, Texas, which was largely overshadowed by the controversy over the first lady’s choice of outerwear while boarding the plane outside Washington.Â
Cable television pundits, fashion pages and late night comics tried to parse the meaning of the phrase “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” on the back of her jacket. The first lady’s spokeswoman said there was “no hidden meaning” and the media were trying to distract from the message of her visit.
Thursday, Trump kept her fashion choices simple and unadorned: white slacks, a black top and white sneakers.
Trump had a roundtable discussion with Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service and a local rancher.
“I want to thank you for all your hard work,” Trump said. “I know how difficult and dangerous your daily jobs are. I am here to support you and help any way I can.”
Rodolfo Karisch, the chief patrol agent for the Tucson sector, told the first lady “there have to be consequences” for people who cross the border illegally. He insisted that immigration enforcement had been mischaracterized.
“There’s been a lot of misinformation put out to the general public about our facilities,” he said.
After the roundtable, the first lady toured a short-term holding facility and an intelligence center.
The holding facility had eight holding rooms, each marked with different labels. Inside one cell was a mother and a 3-year-old child.
When the first lady saw him, she smiled and said, “Hi! How are you?”
The child looked at all the cameras before turning to the cell and his mother.
Ten boys, ages 14 to 17, were also being held at the facility. Outside of one of the holding cells, six of them sat on a metal bench and in toddler-sized chairs, watching a movie on mute. They appeared unfazed by the first lady’s visit.
All of the detainees were from Guatemala or Honduras, according to officials. They had been there for less than 72 years.
“She’s learning that these people at HHS facilities are providing some outstanding care under difficult circumstances,†Grisham said. “She’s advocating for quality care for these children under difficult circumstances.â€
This trip, made with the president’s encouragement, was planned after the first lady was unable to visit a Department of Homeland Security facility last week because of flooding.
“She cares about children deeply,†Grisham said. “She also believes in strong border laws and treating everybody equally.â€
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ordered the reunification of all families within 30 days. Â
Grisham noted that the legal situation changed for immigrant children, and the first lady was “anxious” to learn about how the process was implemented.
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