First lady Melania Trump visits Texas-Mexico border amid crisis over migrant children separated from parents

AP logo
Friday, June 22, 2018
First lady Melania Trump's surprise visit to border region
ABC13's Steve Campion reports from McAllen, Texas, where Melania Trump made a suprise visit to the border region amid immigration policy turmoil.

MCALLEN, Texas -- Melania Trump is visiting two Texas facilities housing some of the more than 2,300 migrant children sent by the U.S. government after their families entered the country illegally.

The first lady's visit to Upbring New Hope Children's Center on Thursday comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting the practice of separating families. However, his policy of criminally prosecuting illegal border-crossers remains.

Melania Trump visits immigrant detainment facilities in Texas

Mrs. Trump, whose focus is on children, may have helped encourage her husband to act.

The first lady said earlier through her spokeswoman that she "hates" to see families separated at the border. A White House official followed up Wednesday, saying Mrs. Trump had been making her opinion known to the president that he needed to act to keep migrant families together.

First lady Melania Trump visits immigrant children at U.S.-Mexico border.