Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) slammed the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy of separating families at the border in an interview on Tuesday,…
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) slammed the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy of separating families at the border in an interview on Tuesday, referring to the policy as «an evil, dark thing.»
«These are all things that come from the darkness that are ripping children from their mothers’ arms. That’s outrageous. I mean, that is not a positive, good thing. It is an evil, dark thing,” Gillibrand told Politico’s «Off Message» podcast.
“It’s not specifically about the president. It’s about ideas that are evil. It’s about darkness, which is rooted in hate,” she said.
“There’s a lot of ideas right now that are in this county that are dark ideas: building walls, dividing this country, marginalizing trans [military] members who are troops, marginalizing kids who are transgender, not supporting DACA kids, literally polluting our air and our water.”
Gillibrand’s comments come as the White House faces bipartisan criticism for the policy, which has been billed as a deterrent for migrants looking to cross the U. S. southern border illegally.
The Trump administration has blamed previous administrations, Democrats, and Congress for the policy, saying it is up to lawmakers to propose a fix.
“We’re not the ones responsible for creating this problem. We’ve inherited it,” Sarah Sanders said at the White House press briefing on Monday. “But we’re actually the first administration stepping up and trying to fix it.”
“Calling attention to this matter is important. This is a very serious issue that has resulted after years and years of Congress not taking action,” Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said at the briefing.
“So I would thank them both for their comments, I would thank them both for their concerns. I share their concerns,” she continued. “But Congress is the one that needs to fix this.”
Gillibrand is one of several Senate Democrats seen as possible White House hopefuls in 2020.
