Melanie Trump’s first lady Be Best initiative doesn’t seem to extend to her husband protecting children from harm. On Wednesday, President Trump credited Melania and Ivanka Trump for convincing him to end the cruel policy he had previously insisted that he couldn’t reverse and members of his administration said at different times that they created the policy (Jeff Sessions), the policy to separate children and detain them was a “simple decision” (Stephen Miller), and that it wasn’t happening at all (Kirsten Nielson).
LIVE: NBC News Special Report: First Lady Melania Trump makes surprise visit to meet with migrant children and visit facilities at the US-Mexico border. https://t.co/GLNpx5Dcs8
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 21, 2018
She does not, however, seem to understand what has been happening. Speaking to the border guards who were hired to oversee the camps, the first lady said:
‘We all know they are here without their families and I want to thank you for your hard work, your compassion, and your kindness you are giving to them in these difficult times.’
Audio recordings have heartbreakingly proven that children in these detention centers have cried for their parents while being mocked by a guard and some of the children who have finally been returned to their parents are alleging physical and sexual abuse. This is unsurprising considering the public has no indiction yet that any of these guards were vetted like teachers or daycare workers are before being put in charge of children.
My God! Border patrol kicking and beating little children. ???
Migrant children beaten, kicked and threatened with sexual abuse by Border Patrol, ACLU allegeshttps://t.co/UoiCyBa4ug
— 3ChicsPolitico (@3ChicsPolitico) May 26, 2018
The first lady also said that her goal is to reunite the children with their families as soon as possible, something that those horrified by the practice were critical of when Trump signed the executive order. While getting them back to their families quickly is important, there is no way to undo the trauma these children have suffered as a result of this abuse.
Foster mom on trauma of separated migrant children: 'They are coming crying, almost hysterical' https://t.co/05nWmRbeHd pic.twitter.com/K37OefpJsv
— The Last Word (@TheLastWord) June 21, 2018
Trauma affects the person who experiences these kind of abuses for a lifetime and is proven to cause mental and physical health issues later in life. No amount of sympathy now takes that away and child abusers like Trump, Sessions, Miller, and Nielson are not excused for promising not to abuse anymore children than the ones they’ve already abused.
Featured image via Getty/Chip Somodevilla