Every First Lady Opposes the Zero Tolerance Rule

From ELLE

There are only five living First Ladies, and all five have officially voiced their opposition to the Trump Administration's handling of border control. The U.S. government reported Friday that nearly 2,000 migrant children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during the narrow window between April 19 and May 31 of this year. This news comes as a result of the Trump Administration's "zero tolerance policy" for immigrants who have entered the U.S. illegally, an action that-in most cases-sends children into foster or government care while their parents are criminally charged.

In an op-ed released Sunday, former First Lady Laura Bush lent her voice to the Washington Post to condemn the practice, calling it "cruel" and "immoral" and prompting an important conversation among First Ladies former and current.

Bush went on to comment on the tragic irony of the matter, writing that she "was among the millions of Americans who watched images of children who have been torn from their parents" this past Sunday, which was Father's Day. Former First Lady Michelle Obama also weighed in on the zero tolerance policy, retweeting Laura Bush's statement and writing that "Sometimes truth transcends party."

Bush and Obama aren't the only First Ladies to to speak up about the much-criticized immigration policy, which went into effect last month. First Lady Melania Trump's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham released a statement on her behalf reporting that "Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform."

Joining the ranks of First Ladies Bush and Obama, Hillary Clinton used a recent award acceptance speech as an opportunity to share her own censure of the issue. “We are a better country than one that tears families apart, turns a blind eye to women fleeing domestic violence, and treats frightened children as a negotiating tool as a means to a political end.” she said. “These actions are an affront to our values and they undermine America’s reputation as a beacon of hope and freedom in the world.”

In the days following her speech, Clinton has continued to criticize the sadistic nature of the policy that now allows for children at the border to be held in wire cages, expressing her concern in a strand of Tweets.

On Monday, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter became the fifth and final First Lady to criticize what's happening at the border. In a statement released by The Carter Center on Twitter, Carter wrote, among other sentiments, that, "The practice and policy today of removing children from their parents' care at our border with Mexico is disgraceful and a shame to our country."

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