White House Reporters Pummel DHS Head Nielsen Over Migrant Policy: ‘How is This Not Child Abuse?’

By Ken MeyerJun 18th, 2018, 5:47 pm
 

Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen faced an avalanche of questions on Monday as she doubled down on the White House’s policy to deal with migrant families at the U.S. Southern border.

As President Donald Trump continues to blame the separation of children from their families on nonexistent Democrat laws, Nielsen defended the administration earlier today by saying that the media reports on the inhumane treatment of children should not be believed. When Nielsen took questions during the White House press briefing on Monday, she was asked about critics who say the Trump Administration is using children as human leverage to demand legislative actions from Congress.

“I say that is a very cowardly response,” Nielsen said. “It’s clearly within their power to make the laws and change the laws. They should do so.”

Nielsen continued to fend off questions regarding the photographs of children in cages and audio of children crying out for their parents. She continued to say that Congress was to blame for the current situation, and that the DHS is enforcing current law rather than pushing a White House policy.

Even so, the questions kept coming, and Nielsen was asked at one point, “how is this not specifically child abuse for these innocent children who are, indeed, being separated from their parents?”

The grill session continued with Nielsen shrugging off media coverage from the border, and also refuting the idea that Trump could change the policy if he dislikes it like he says he does. As she lamented the “broken system” and dodged on why Trump hasn’t expressed sympathies for the broken-up families, Nielsen was eventually asked if the administration is trying to send a “message” to migrant families.

Nielsen found the question “offensive,” asking “why would I ever create a policy that purposely does that?” She also denied that the current policy is meant to be used as a “deterrence,” even though Attorney General Jeff Sessions has described it as such.

Watch above.

[Image via screengrab]

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