--- title: Living First Ladies Speak Out Against Zero Tolerance Policy description: All four living first ladies have now decried the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy and separating children and parents at the border. canonical: https://time.com/5315482/first-ladies-trumps-border-family-separation-policy/ author: Alix Langone article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-19T01:19:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T19:14:47.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Living First Ladies Speak Out Against Zero Tolerance Policy og:description: Rosalynn Carter has now weighed in on the controversial policy og:url: https://time.com/5315482/first-ladies-trumps-border-family-separation-policy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafa3309276895882/6989335a4ee2625d5c312213/gettyimages-484518322.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6792 og:image:height: 3821 og:image:alt: McCloskey Speaker Series - A Conversation With Jimmy Carter And Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Living First Ladies Speak Out Against Zero Tolerance Policy twitter:description: Rosalynn Carter has now weighed in on the controversial policy twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltafa3309276895882/6989335a4ee2625d5c312213/gettyimages-484518322.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 03:26 video:published: 2018-06-18 section: politics topics: zero tolerance policy, border enforcement, illegal immigration, family separation, child welfare, prosecution, deterrence, judicial process genre: news, political commentary tones: contentious, critical, defensive, urgent, formal emotions: anger (medium), concern (high), defiance (medium) sentiment: negative audience: policy followers, voters, immigration advocates, general news readers people: Donald Trump organizations: Trump Administration, Democrats content_suitability: politics [00:00-03:26]; crime [00:18-00:35]; tragedy [00:54-02:52] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # All Five Living First Ladies Speak Out Against Trump's Border Family Separation Policy > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=b85d4416-425b-4c50-8a23-407d019c709c&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Nearly 2,000 Children Have Been Separated From Their Families During Trump Border Crackdown [Watch (HLS stream): Nearly 2,000 Children Have Been Separated From Their Families During Trump Border Crackdown](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mdVWChjR.m3u8) (3:26)  _Published 2018-06-18. Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families during a six-week period in April and May, as the Trump Administration cracked down on illegal immigration with a “zero-tolerance” policy of separating families at the border_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents excerpts of statements about the zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on the southwest border, under which adults crossing unlawfully are prosecuted and children may be separated from accompanying adults during judicial proceedings. It includes a speaker defending the policy as no different from a parent being temporarily separated from a child, and critics calling it inhumane, offensive to the average American, and an atrocious policy that should be ended. The segment ends with a defense of officials doing their job regardless of how families are characterized. ## Key points - A zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on the southwest border means unlawful crossers will be prosecuted. (00:18) - Smuggling a child across the border will also lead to prosecution, and the child may be separated from the adult. (00:30) - The policy is said to be intended to deter people from breaking the law. (00:54) - Children accompanying adults are temporarily separated from them while they go through a judicial process. (00:58) - The speaker argues this separation is no different from a United States citizen parent being separated from a child. (01:11) - Critics describe the policy as zero humanity with zero logic, and say kids should not be used as a deterrent. (01:59) - One speaker calls the policy atrocious and inhumane, and says it is offensive to the average American. (02:48) - The official says not all individuals arriving as a family unit are in fact a family, and the officials will not apologize for doing their job. (03:07) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:46] Announcement of zero tolerance border policy. A statement describes prosecution for unlawful border crossing and smuggling, and possible separation of children from adults. - [00:46 to 01:20] Defense of temporary family separation. The policy is defended as a deterrent, with separation compared to a citizen parent's situation during legal processes. - [01:20 to 02:34] Criticism calling the policy inhumane. Opponents describe the policy as having zero humanity and zero logic, and a call is made for lawmakers to act. - [02:34 to 03:00] Condemnation of using children as deterrent. Speakers argue children should not be used as a deterrent and call the policy atrocious and offensive. - [03:00 to 03:26] Officials defend their job. A speaker says not all family units are families and that officials will not apologize for performing their duties. ## Key quotes - [00:18] Speaker (policy announcement): "I have put in place a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on our southwest border." - [01:59] Speaker (critic): "a better name for it is zero humanity and there's zero logic to this policy." - [02:34] Speaker (critic): "We should not be using kids as a deterrent policy." - [02:52] Speaker (critic): "It's inhumane, it's offensive to the average American." - [03:16] Speaker (official): "We will not apologize for doing our job." ## Questions this video answers - What is the zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on the southwest border? [00:18] - Can children be separated from adults under this policy? [00:35] - Why is child separation said to be used under this policy? [00:54] - How do supporters justify separating a child from an accompanying adult? [01:11] - How do critics describe the policy? [01:59] - How do officials respond to criticism of the policy? [03:16] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-03:26]: Entire video discusses a contested immigration enforcement policy and partisan positions. - crime [00:18-00:35]: Discusses prosecution for unlawful border crossing and child smuggling. - tragedy [00:54-02:52]: Discusses separation of children from families and criticism that it is inhumane. by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:14 PM UTCPublished: Jun 19, 2018 1:19 AM UTC Nearly 2,000 children were separated from their families during a six-week period in April and May, as the Trump Administration cracked down on illegal immigration with a “zero-tolerance” policy of separating families at the border by [Alix Langone](https://time.com/author/alix-langone/) ## Alix Langone Updated: Dec 12, 2023 7:14 PM UTCPublished: Jun 19, 2018 1:19 AM UTC With Rosalynn Carter adding her voice to the choir of political figures who are speaking out against the Trump administration’s [zero tolerance immigration policy](http://time.com/5314769/family-separation-policy-donald-trump/), all five living first ladies have now publicly come out against the controversial policy, which separates children from their parents as families try to cross the border into the U.S. Carter called [the practice of removing children from their parents](http://time.com/5315484/listen-to-audio-of-children-separated-from-their-parents-inside-border-patrol-facilities/) “disgraceful and a shame to our country,” while recalling the work she did to raise awareness about the plight of refugees in Cambodia in the late 1970s. > [](https://twitter.com/CarterCenter/status/1008805106287071232) Laura Bush [published an op-ed in the Washington _Post_ ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/laura-bush-separating-children-from-their-parents-at-the-border-breaks-my-heart/2018/06/17/f2df517a-7287-11e8-9780-b1dd6a09b549%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.8f4c90432ba2)on Father’s Day calling family separations “immoral” and “cruel” while noting that more than 100 of the detained children are under the age of four. Bush also compared the current administration’s warehousing of immigrants in detention facilities to the internment camps in the U.S. during World War II. “These images are eerily reminiscent of the internment camps for U.S. citizens and noncitizens of Japanese descent during World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history,” wrote Bush. Hillary Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election, also made her stance on the zero tolerance policy known, writing in a Twitter thread that what’s happening at the border is a “humanitarian crisis.” Clinton also applauded Bush’s decision to speak up and shared links to organizations accepting donations to help the separated families. > [](https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1008806592400314368) Michelle Obama made her thoughts on the zero tolerance policy known by sharing Bush’s op-ed, simply writing “Sometimes truth transcends party.” > [](https://twitter.com/MichelleObama/status/1008768272895012867) Current first lady [Melania Trump issued a statement](http://time.com/5314447/melania-trump-immigration-statement/) through her office saying, “Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform,” according to the statement. “She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.” Although many applauded her for breaking from her husband President Donald Trump’s stance on the policy, others have pointed out that she still assigned blame to the Democrats for what is happening at the border by using “both sides” in her statement. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:09] [ MUSIC ] [00:18] I have put in place a zero tolerance policy for illegal [00:22] entry on our southwest border. If you cross [00:26] the border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you. If [00:30] you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute [00:35] you. And that child may be separated from you [ MUSIC ] [00:46] The [00:54] zero tolerance policy is intended to deter people [00:58] from breaking the law, Adults Adults, if they are [01:02] accompanied by a child, that child is temporarily separated [01:06] from them as they go through a judicial process. And that is [01:11] no different from a United States citizen parent. [ MUSIC ] [01:20] [ MUSIC ] [01:27] [ MUSIC ] [01:34] They [01:41] call [01:48] it [01:55] the zero Tolerance. But a better name [01:59] for it is zero humanity and there's zero logic [02:04] to this policy. [ MUSIC ] [02:11] The democrats gave us the laws, now I [02:15] want the laws to be beautiful. But strong. I don't want bad [02:19] people coming in. I don't want drugs coming in. And we [02:22] can solve that problem in one meeting. Tell the democrats, [02:26] your friends, to call me. [ MUSIC ] We [02:34] should not be using kids as a deterrent policy. [02:38] This is something, I think, is actually unacceptable. [02:43] And it's something that, as Americans, we shouldn't be [02:45] doing. He's gotta step in there and he's gotta end this [02:48] thing. I think it's an atrocious policy. It's inhumane, it's [02:52] offensive to the average American. [ MUSIC ] [03:00] We [03:07] do not have the luxury of pretending that all individuals [03:11] coming to this country as a family unit Are, in fact, a family. [03:16] We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our [03:19] job. We have sworn to do this job. 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