Fox News guest Mary Anne Marsh claimed that the Obama administration didn’t separate children from their parents — right before admitting that they did — during a segment on Monday’s “America’s Newsroom.”
WATCH:
During a panel discussion about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, Marsh — who previously worked for 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry — argued that the Trump administration’s handling of the migrants was unprecedented. (RELATED: Dem Strategist Says Women Can Work With The GOP — But Only Names 2 Examples)
She explained:
Here is what I understand. Millions of people cross this border every single day. Yet somehow 50 to 500 people cause this uproar where you now see kids barefoot in diapers being tear gassed. We haven’t seen that before. This is from an administration who separates children from their parents. The legal right of these migrants is to come to our border and apply for asylum at the port of entry.
As some have pointed out on Twitter, however, tear gas has been used at the border before, most notably in 2013 under the Obama administration.
Reminder: The Obama Admin also used force and tear gas in 2013 when a large group of people stormed our border and threw rocks at our agents—at the same exact place. Source: https://t.co/YPlc8KXpdo
— Brandon Darby (@brandondarby) November 26, 2018
Fox Business host David Asman (“Bulls and Bears”) weighed in on the caravans and why Mexico allows them to move freely on their way to the United States.
“If people think our immigration policies are harsh, no matter who the president is whether it was Obama who separated children or president Trump who separated children,” Asman began. “The fact is that Mexico — try to get through Mexico as a migrant. Their laws are much tougher. It is so much more difficult to get a job in Mexico than it is in the United States.”
Asman went on to say that the Mexican government probably felt “they had no choice,” in part because of the intense worldwide media scrutiny.
But then Marsh cut back in, saying, “Quickly, though. The Obama administration did not separate children from their parents.”
“Sure they did,” Asman fired back.
Look at the administration officials touring the cages and chainlink pens on the border! Oh, wait. Those are Obama Administration officials pic.twitter.com/RzJ9yN5Mb0
— Brandon Darby (@brandondarby) October 28, 2018
Marsh quickly backtracked, admitting that the Obama administration did separate children under certain circumstances. “They did it when they thought they were being trafficked. Or it wasn’t their parents,” she qualified.
“But that was separating,” Asman pointed out, noting that there are still many cases in which the children are being used as pawns to make it easier for migrants to pass into the United States.