Trump ‘Hates’ Families Being Parted At Border, Insists Dems Must Change Law

People pass graffiti along the border structure  in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017.  President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation's immigration controls Wednesday, signing executive actions to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall and cut federal grants for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities." (AP Photo/Julie Watson)
People pass graffiti along the border structure in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation's immigration controls Wednesday, signing executive acti... People pass graffiti along the border structure in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation's immigration controls Wednesday, signing executive actions to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall and cut federal grants for immigrant-protecting "sanctuary cities." (AP Photo/Julie Watson) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Donald Trump said Friday that he “hates” migrant parents being separated from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border and insisted that the “Democratic law” that requires the separation can only be changed by Democratic lawmakers, despite the Republican majorities in Congress.

“The Democrats forced that law upon our nation,” he said during an impromptu press conference outside the White House. “I hate it. I hate to see separation of parents and children. The Democrats can come to us, as they actually are, in all fairness, we’re talking to them, and they can change the whole border security.”

The practice of separating parents from their children at the border is not enshrined in some Democratic administration’s law. According to an extensive Washington Post fact check, it is largely a product of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which includes prosecutorial crackdowns on all undocumented adults, while existing policy requires that minors not be held in captivity. Thus, it is Sessions’ policy that directly caused the separations.

In addition, Trump has routinely put the onus on the minority party to pass legislation ending the separations, for some reason exempting the Republican majorities from taking any action. In fact, a week ago, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and 39 cosponsors—all Democrats plus the two Independents who caucus with the Democrats—introduced the “Keeping Families Together Act” on the floor of the Senate.

House Republicans have released drafted legislation that would end the separation practice as well, but it looks like it would include so many bitter pills—wall funding, significant restrictions on legal and family-based immigration—that it is not likely to garner much Democratic support.

When asked about the White House’s stance on the familial separations at the Thursday press briefing, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders backed up Sessions’ argument that “it is biblical to enforce the law,” falsely asserting that the Trump administration is bound to laws already on the books.

Watch Trump’s comments below:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. President Donald Trump said Friday that he “hates” migrant parents being separated from their children at the U.S.-Mexico border and insisted that the “Democratic law” that requires the separation can only be changed by Democratic lawmakers, despite the Republican majorities in Congress.

    I’m just trying to hang in to see Manafort in orange, but this is making it tough.

  2. "…press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders backed up Sessions’ argument that “it is biblical to enforce the law,” …

    
    Since we're a secular nation, and our laws are predicated on separation of church and state, WTF does the word of the Bible on this issue have to do with anything?
    
    Don't look for any prominent journalist to pose this question to Trump, Sanders or Sessions.
  3. When you control both partisan branches of government and are operating with a rather sympathetic third branch, the politics of weakness is an odd choice.

    It says a lot about him. Not a hard worker, not a go-getter, not a detail-oriented person. Not a person who will make a tough decision, knowing that it will cost him but that it’s worth it.

    Did Barack Obama or Dubya worry about how straight people were standing when they saluted the office? No, of course not. They were working on achieving their goals, noble or dubious though they might have been. They didn’t have the time or patience to worry about such minor, pathetic details.

    Donald Trump is indescribably weak. Every atom of his very large, very big body is weak. Weakness is his core. His weakness defines him. He could not do anything other than act weak.

  4. Avatar for theod theod says:

    In Other Words: Donald Trump is lying again. Officially. Brazenly. Ignorantly.

  5. It’s a jiggling weakness.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

70 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for paulw Avatar for ajm Avatar for jootjoint Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for nowarino Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for epicurus Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for squirreltown Avatar for texasaggie Avatar for sniffit Avatar for chelsea530 Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for ralph_vonholst Avatar for ottnott Avatar for mrf Avatar for georgeh Avatar for jtx Avatar for eddycollins Avatar for tiowally Avatar for erratum Avatar for erik_t Avatar for jstrummer

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: