FIRST LADIES UNITE AGAINST FAMILY SEPARATIONS
First ladies have a long history of advocating for issues important to them, often issues related to children. But what's unusual is to have all the living former presidents' wives speaking out in one voice. America's current and former first ladies are pushing back against the Trump administration's practice of separating children from their parents at the border in an effort to curb illegal crossings. And they've largely been out in front of their husbands in doing so. The opposition comes from both Republicans and Democrats — even including expressions of concern from President Trump's own wife, first lady Melania Trump.In a statement, her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said the first lady "hates to see children separated from their families" and called on the country to govern "with heart." The statement also expressed hope for bipartisan immigration reform. Melania Trump has made the well-being of children the major focus of her "Be Best" policy initiative.The responses from former first ladies, including Republican Laura Bush, have been more pointed. In an op-ed in Sunday's Washington Post and on Twitter, Bush called the separation of children from their parents "cruel" and "immoral."