Melania Trump made her second visit to a visit to a border facility and was shaken by what she saw. U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered a migrant boy earlier this week that was abandoned by the side of a road.
The Costa Rican boy, who is reportedly only 6-years-old, was carrying a sign written in Spanish that reads “I am looking for my mother.”
The first lady was shown pictures of the boy during a visit to a Customs and Border Patrol facility in Tucson, Arizona.
“Oh God,” the first lady uttered in a reaction to the photo, according to an AZ Central report. Melania Trump continued “It’s incredible, as young as six years old, you know, someone would leave them. Wow, very sad.”
The newspaper described how U.S. border customs agents found the 6-year-old boy.
“The boy carried a large backpack. He also had a zippered tote, possibly an insulated lunch sack. In his left hand, he carried a plastic Coke bottle that was less than one-quarter full. The agency said that was the only drink he had, and that he carried no food.”
The child told the border agents that he was abandoned by his uncle and despite being in 101-degree heat in the Arizona desert, he was found in good condition.
The boy has been turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services. It is likely that the agency will attempt to place him with a family member once he has been identified.
First lady Melania Trump visits a border detention facility holding undocumented immigrants arrested at southern border in Tucson, AZ: “I know how dangerous and difficult your daily jobs are so I really appreciate all you do on behalf of the country” https://t.co/8gYwvxoK6w pic.twitter.com/edkG249Ihd
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 29, 2018
During her visit to the Tucson border facility, Mrs. Trump spoke with Border Patrol, Immigration, and Customs Enforcement about the condition of the children and offered support, according to The Independent .
“I want to thank you for all your hard work. I know how difficult and dangerous your daily jobs are,” Melania Trump told agents. “I am here to support you and help any way I can.”
First lady Melania Trump traveled to Tucson to make her second visit in a week to a detention facility holding undocumented immigrants arrested at the southern border. https://t.co/KFPN3Y45aL pic.twitter.com/N3EHGZPFoJ
— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 29, 2018
Since October last year, over 2,500 children have been separated from their parents. About 2,000 over those children were separated from their parents in recent months.
Critics of the family separation policy say it is morally reprehensible. Some audio of children crying has been leaked to the media and the condition of many of the children are not being reported due to lack of access.
It is unclear whether the all the children will be reunited with their parent.
Melania Trump, who rarely comments on her husband’s policy’s said she “hates to see children separated from their families” via her communications director Stephanie Grisham last week.
