First Lady of the United States Melania Trump made an appearance at a detention center in Texas on Thursday, at a time when there is much confusion among the public and seemingly the Trump Administration over a policy of separating children from parents at the border. The location was one where children are being housed apart from their parents. While FLOTUS’ visit was praised by some, it was also criticized by others.
Outrage rears its head whenever she campaigns against cyberbullying (given her husband’s tweeting), but peak outrage was also achieved when the first lady was seen wearing heels while boarding a plane headed to a disaster area, namely the city of Houston after Hurricane Harvey hit. This time, the first lady’s own immigration history is being mentioned.
Lawfare executive editor Susan Hennessey, for instance, tweeted something about Melania Trump that’s been gaining a lot of traction on social media.
“This is a good time to recall that we have never been given an even remotely satisfactory response to strong evidence that Melania Trump violated US immigration law and that she promised to produced documentary evidence in defense and then never did,” Hennessey tweeted, before pointing to a Fox News link containing an Associated Press story from 2016 headlined,“Trump’s wife worked illegally during her first weeks in the US, documents show.”
Melania Trump has denied this in the past, saying “I followed the law the way it’s supposed to be” and “I never thought to stay here without papers. I had a visa. I traveled every few months back to the country to Slovenia, to stamp the visa.”
Trump’s attorney Michael Wildes, who reviewed the immigration records in question, would say “[allegations that she worked illegally] are not supported by the record and are therefore completely without merit.”
Hennessey wasn’t the only person mentioning this, however.
Nor did the first lady’s jacket choice go unnoticed.
And what about the cringeworthy moment someone self-described as 15-year-old is getting a lot of attention for calling the first lady a “crisis actor”?
The term “crisis actor” was used a lot after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Activist high school students like David Hogg were subsequently accused of being frauds for the media.
“I’m glad I’m here and I’m looking forward to seeing and meeting children,” Melania Trump said of her visit. “I want to thank you for your hard work, your compassion and your kindness. “[I want to] lend support and hear more on how the administration can build upon the already existing efforts to reunite children with their families.”
According to the New York Post, Melania Trump spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham this visit was the first lady’s decision.
“Her goals are to thank law enforcement and social services providers for their hard work, lend support and hear more on how the administration can build upon the already existing efforts to reunite children with their families,” the White House said in a statement.
[Image via CNN screengrab]
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