Former first lady Laura Bush on Sunday lent her voice to growing chorus of those fighting against the separation of families at the U.S. border, joining the current first lady and White House adviser Kellyanne Conway[1] in expressing their disapproval as thousands of children have been taken from their parents.
The difference, however, is that Bush, unlike Melania Trump and Conway, called for an immediate end to the policy.
“If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents — and to stop separating parents and children in the first place,” Bush wrote in a piece for the Washington Post[2].
She compared what’s happening at the border to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, which she described as “one of the most shameful episodes” in U.S. history.
“In 2018, can we not as a nation find a kinder, more compassionate and more moral answer to the current crisis?” she continued. “I, for one, believe we can.”
From one former first lady to another...
Sometimes truth transcends party. https://t.co/TeFM7NmNzU[3]
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama)
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley also chimed in with support:
Thank you for your moral leadership, Laura Bush. I hope the @realDonaldTrump, @SecNielsen and Jeff Sessions heed your words. These are children. #KeepFamiliesTogether https://t.co/JmLQyUAFDc[5][6][7][8]
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley)
The president didn’t respond directly to Bush’s take, but he did fire off several tweets blaming Democrats for the current situation:
Children are being used by some of the worst criminals on earth as a means to enter our country. Has anyone been looking at the Crime taking place south of the border. It is historic, with some countries the most dangerous places in the world. Not going to happen in the U.S....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
References
- ^ the current first lady and White House adviser Kellyanne Conway (www.marketwatch.com)
- ^ a piece for the Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)
- ^ https://t.co/TeFM7NmNzU (t.co)
- ^ June 18, 2018 (twitter.com)
- ^ @realDonaldTrump (twitter.com)
- ^ @SecNielsen (twitter.com)
- ^ #KeepFamiliesTogether (twitter.com)