President Donald Trump hardened his resolve to maintain his policy of separating children from parents who cross the border illegally amid an intensifying backlash from the public and lawmakers.
Trump said Tuesday at a speech to a small-business trade group in Washington that he has "only two options" for immigration enforcement, either "totally open borders or criminal prosecution for law-breaking." The administration began separating children from their parents as it adopted a policy of criminally charging all adults apprehended for unlawfully crossing the border.
"People that come in violate the law, they endanger their children in the process," Trump told the National Federation of Independent Business. He said that Democrats could end the policy by agreeing to immigration law changes he is seeking, including authority to quickly send back whole families apprehended near the border to their home countries.