Sessions Defends Separating Parents and Children

Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a vigorous defense of the hard-line Trump administration policy that has resulted in immigrant children being separated from their parents after crossing the border illegally during a lengthy interview on Tuesday, reports The Washington Post.

Jeff Sessions

Salem Media's conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who admitted he was “disturbed” by the separations, pressed Sessions repeatedly about the morality and necessity of the familial separations. But the attorney general stood his ground. Listen Here. Transcript Here.

“If people don’t want to be separated from their children, they should not bring them with them,” Sessions said, echoing some of the remarks he made in May when the Justice Department announced that it would begin to prosecuting every person who crossed the border unlawfully, including many seeking asylum. “We’ve got to get this message out. You’re not given immunity.”

The separation of children from their parents is one of the policy’s outcomes, though President Trump has attempted to blame Democrats for the issue after a slew of outrage and negative reactions in recent weeks. Previously, most families arrested after crossing the border have been released for civil deportation hearings, but because children are not allowed in criminal jails, the new policy is likely to result in a significant uptick in separations.