First lady Melania Trump has been privately pressing President Trump to end the separation of families at the U.S. border, which has resulted due to his administration’s zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration, according to a report.
The first lady had several conversations with the president over the past several days about what he could do to stop minors being taken away from their parents or guardians as the Justice Department prosecutes all illegal border crossings, “whether via a legislative route, or acting alone to stop the process,” per CNN.
Melania Trump also released a public statement on Sunday, calling on Congress to demonstrate “heart” when trying to formulate a legislative fix to the crisis at the border.
[Also read: Former first ladies join forces to condemn family separation at border]
President Trump on Wednesday announced he intended to sign an order halting the practice, a pre-emptive move that is expected to alleviate pressure on Republican lawmakers who have become increasingly frustrated with the situation.
News of the first lady’s behind-the-scenes advocacy on the family separation issue follows a report by the Washington Post on Wednesday that Ivanka Trump was speaking to the president as well.
President Trump told House Republicans at a Tuesday night meeting on Capitol Hill about immigration reform that the first daughter, who is also a White House adviser, was upset by the images of children in detention facilities.
“Can we do anything to stop this?” Ivanka Trump reportedly asked her father, a lawmaker in the meeting told the Washington Post.
