US President Donald Trump speaks at the National Federation of Independent Businesses 75th anniversary celebration yesterday in Washington. Photo / AP
US President Donald Trump has fired back after an outpouring of emotion over family separations at the United States border that has seen his government repeatedly compared to the Nazis.
As his own supporters turn on him, the President stands firm, convinced he won the election on a promise of an immigration crackdown, and that is what Americans want.
But many insiders believe his policy of separating young children from their parents could be the nail in the coffin for the bullet-proof commander-in-chief.
He took to Twitter to reiterate his claim that the blame for America's border nightmare lay with Democrats, who he said wanted immigrants to "infest" the US.
Trump insisted he had no choice but to criminally prosecute every adult crossing into the US from Mexico, meaning "you have to take children away".
As he prepared to head to Congress on Tuesday afternoon to debate the "zero tolerance" policy introduced in April, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state will sue the Trump administration "for violating the Constitutional rights of immigrant children and their families who have been separated at the border."
The President early indicated he does not want to support either of two bills designed to move towards a solution to the family separation issue.
Democrats are the problem. They don’t care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13. They can’t win on their terrible policies, so they view them as potential voters!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2018
I want to take a moment to address the current illegal immigration crisis on the Southern Border...it has been going on for many, many decades... pic.twitter.com/1F7EK9Ef88
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2018
#BREAKING: New York State intends to file a multi-agency lawsuit against the Trump administration for violating the Constitutional rights of immigrant children and their families who have been separated at the border. pic.twitter.com/df497NyEnb
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) June 19, 2018
He instead wanted a bill that would guarantee funding to build his border wall, he told the National Federation of Independent Business.
Senior politicians suggested increasing the number of judges to speed up immigration hearings, but Mr Trump insisted it was security, not judges, that America needed.
More than 2000 children have been separated from their parents at the border in the past six weeks, and distressing images and audio have emerged of youngsters crying for their mothers and fathers.
In a tape obtained by ProPublica, a Border Agent jokes in Spanish: "Well, we have an orchestra here. What's missing is a conductor."
World leaders, senior Democrats and Republicans, the United Nations and religious leaders have united to speak out against the damaging policy.
Governors across the US are now queuing up to say that they will not support the separations, with New York, Colorado and Massachusetts saying they will not provide troops to help secure the border — and Maryland recalling its soldiers.
"In the face of this ongoing human tragedy, let me be very clear: New York will not be party to this inhumane treatment of immigrant families," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "We will not deploy National Guard to the border, and we will not be complicit in a political agenda that governs by fear and division."
Republican Senator John McCain condemned the practice in a statement on Monday, saying. "The administration's current family separation policy is an affront to the decency of the American people, and contrary to principles and values upon which our nation was founded.
"The administration has the power to rescind this policy. It should do so now."
The administration’s current family separation policy is an affront to the decency of the American people, and contrary to principles and values upon which our nation was founded. The administration has the power to rescind this policy. It should do so now.
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) June 18, 2018
The Mexican government joined in the condemnation of the separation of families, with foreign secretary Luis Videgaray saying the nation did not support illegal immigration but "cannot remain indifferent in the face of something that clearly represents a violation of human rights."
Texan Congresswoman Sheila Lee told CNN she had been to the border and witnessed the "cries and screams of these little ones", as well as mothers saying they feared they would never see their children again. "What we are saying today is President Trump, cease and desist," added the Democrat.
Holocaust survivor Yoka Verdoner was one of a growing chorus who have likened family separations to what happened at concentration camps. She told the Guardian the practice was "as evil and criminal as what happened to me and my siblings as children in Nazi Europe. It needs to be stopped immediately."
US Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue said: "Thousands of children are being forcibly removed from their parents by our government ... this is not who we are and it must stop now."
Trump supporters argue that children were still detained during the Obama administration, pointing to images of kids in cages from 2014, which were mistakenly identified on Twitter as current.
But similar images of children sleeping on the ground exist now. The difference is that during the Obama era, families were placed in detention together and released as early as possible.
The kids pictured in metal cages were unaccompanied minors waiting for housing. The situation still came in for fierce criticism, but the policy introduced in April by Trump is far more hard line.
Unaccompanied minors are also an issue for this administration, with the government confessing it had lost 1500 children placed in homes or foster families, prompting the viral hashtag #wherearethechildren?
Still, the President does have close allies who loudly agree with his policies — and undoubtedly many more supporters quietly agreeing in front of their televisions.
In the face of calls for her resignation, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the administration would not apologise for doing its job, adding: "This administration has a simple message — if you cross the border illegally, we will prosecute you."
Attorney-General Jeff Sessions said the administration must prosecute adults who "flout our laws" to come here illegally instead of waiting their turn or claiming asylum at any port of entry. "We cannot and will not encourage people to bring children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws," he said.
Other governments have separated mothers and children pic.twitter.com/tvlBkGjT0h
— Gen Michael Hayden (@GenMhayden) June 16, 2018
He caused controversy last week when he invoked a Bible verse to defend the policy that was also used to excuse slavery. The A-G said Christians must "obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order," a statement that horrified US commentators.
Trump adviser Stephen Miller told the New York Times: "All day long the American people are going to side with the party that wants to secure the border. And not by a little bit. Not 55-45. 60-40. 70-30. 80-20. I'm talking 90-10 on that."
But the figures suggest something else.
Two-thirds of Americans oppose the family separations. A CNN-SSRS poll revealed that even among those who approve of the job Trump is doing as President, a quarter disapprove of the policy.
An NBC-Wall Street Journal poll shows that support for Trump's immigration policies would make around half of voters oppose a candidate.
And six in 10 Americans were against the idea of a border wall, CBS News found.
The President's approval rating on immigration is actually lower than his approval on the economy and his overall approval — with every group.
So immigration may not be the winning ticket Trump believes. It could instead be his downfall.
Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Ness Ziona on Sunday morning.