Family Separation Is Trump's Immigration Policy. Here's Why He Won't Own It
The policy is unpopular, and vulnerable Republicans in competitive districts stand to be punished by voters in the midterms if this continues much longer. So Trump is trying to flip the script.
President Trump and administration officials are walking a fine line on family separation at the border.
They argue they don't like the policy, but that their hands are tied — and instead are pointing fingers at Congress to "fix" it.
There may be good reason for that — the policy (and it is a Trump administration policy despite the Homeland Security secretary's claims to the contrary) is unpopular.
The president on Tuesday called on Congress to come up with a "third option": for the legal authority to detain and promptly remove families together as a unit. This is similar to a practice used during the Obama administration, when. That, too, was criticized, but it is emerging now as a preferred alternative.
