Trump rips Germany's immigration policies

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump falsely claimed Monday crime in Germany is on the rise as he sought to defend his own controversial immigration policies.

"The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," Trump said on Twitter, referring to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition.

"Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!" Trump added.

Germany this year recorded its lowest crime rate since 1992.

Trump's pronouncement comes as he faces widespread criticism at home for his hardline immigration policies, particularly his decision to require undocumented parents to be separated from their children if they are apprehended by immigration enforcement agents.

The decision has been met with universal opposition from Democrats, and over the weekend several prominent Republicans decried the policy.

"I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," former first lady Laura Bush wrote in a scathing Washington Post op-ed, further likening the detention centers to interment camps the U.S. sent Japanese citizens to in a "shameful" period during World War II.

The Department of Homeland Security separated roughly 2,000 children from undocumented adults between April 19 and May 31, sending apprehended children to detention centers or foster care, according to the department.

Republican Senator Susan Collins further said the policy is "traumatizing" children, denying the administration's rationale for the policy as a deterrent for future undocumented migration.

Collins said the Trump administration is trying to "send a message" with its policy, but warned "using children is not the answer".

Trump and his top officials have variously argued that they are simply following federal law, which is not the case, while seeking to blame Democrats for their policy.

Trump did so again on Monday, asking rhetorically on Twitter: "Why don’t the Democrats give us the votes to fix the world’s worst immigration laws? Where is the outcry for the killings and crime being caused by gangs and thugs, including MS-13, coming into our country illegally?"

Earlier in the day, the UN strongly rapped the policy, urging the U.S. to carry out a full halt to the policy that punishes "children for their parents’ actions.

"I call on the United States to immediately end the practice of forcible separation of these children, and I encourage the government to at last ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in order to ensure that the fundamental rights of all children, whatever their administrative status, will be at the center of all domestic laws and policies," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.

But Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen continued to issue a stern defense during remarks to a gathering of sheriffs, saying "we will not apologize for the job we do or for the job law enforcement does."

Also addressing the sheriffs gathering, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the U.S. does not want to separate children from their parents, but added: "We do not want adults to bring children into this country unlawfully, either, placing those children at risk."

In an apparent nod to the policy, UN Secretary General Antonio Gutrerres' spokesman said the UN chief "believes that refugees and migrants should always be treated with respect and dignity, and in accordance with existing international law."

"Children must not be traumatized by being separated from their parents. Family unity must be preserved," said Stephane Dujarric.