“President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday ending the process of separating children from families after they are detained crossing the U.S. border illegally,” The Associated Press reports. “‘We’re going to have strong, very strong borders, but we’re going to keep the families together,’ said Trump who said he didn’t like the ‘sight’ or ‘feeling’ of children separated from their parents.”
“He said his order would not end the ‘zero-tolerance’ policy that criminally prosecutes all adults caught crossing the border illegally,” AP reports. “The order aims to keep families together while they are in custody, expedite their cases, and ask the Department of Defense to help house families.”
“Two people close to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said early Wednesday that she was the driving force behind the plan to keep families together after they are detained crossing the border illegally. One of the people said Nielsen, who had become the face of the administration’s policy, had little faith that Congress would act to fix the separation issue and felt compelled to act,” AP reports. “Also playing a role in his turnaround: First lady Melania Trump. One White House official said Mrs. Trump had been making her opinion known to the president for some time that she felt he needed to do all he could to help families stay together, whether by working with Congress or acting on his own.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2018
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MacDailyNews Note: President Trump’s Executive Order comes one day after Apple CEO Tim Cook criticized the detention of children who were separated from their parents while illegally crossing the U.S. border between the U.S. and Mexico, calling it “inhumane” and “heartbreaking.”
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Apple CEO Tim Cook condemns ‘inhumane’ U.S. detention of children – June 19, 2018