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Pres. Trump revokes family separation policy

Posted June. 22, 2018 07:43,   

Updated June. 22, 2018 07:43

한국어

U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to call off his policy of separating families of illegal immigrants. As criticism mounted, the president decided to renounce the policy of prosecuting parents caught illegally cross the border and the separate accompanying minors in facilities or tent cities. Such sudden change in position has been known to be influenced by the opposition from his wife, Melania Trump, who comes from Slovenia.

CNN reported that President Trump signed an executive order to allow parent and children caught illegally cross the border to stay together in facilities. The executive order, he said, was “about keeping families together, while at the same time being sure that we have a very powerful, very strong border.” He said he didn’t like the sight or the feeling of families being separated. The policy came to an end in just one month. As the policy came to effect last month, a total of 1,995 minors have been known to stay in separation from parents in facilities.

During policy execution, a photo of small children of illegal immigrants crying as they were forced to be separated from their parents was recently released on media reports. Afterwards, President Trump has been under heavy pressure to “revoke the inhumane family separation policy” from religious circles and leaders across the world.

The sudden change in position, which contrasts to Trump’s stance as he even went so far as to withdraw from the UNHRC council to defend the policy, is assumed to be influenced by First Lady Melania Trump and White House advisor and daughter Ivanka Trump.

“I learned that my wife and my daughter feel very strongly about it. I don’t like to see families separated,” said Trump after signing the order. “Thank you for taking critical action ending family separation at our border,” wrote Ivanka Trump on her Twitter account.


Taek Kyoon Sohn sohn@donga.com