Hillary Clinton goes on tweetstorm over family separations

Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton slammed the Trump administration Tuesday afternoon over its “zero tolerance” immigration policy, issuing a rare series of tweets aimed at President Trump without directly mentioning him.

In the messages, Clinton pointed out that more than 500 migrant children remain separated from their parents weeks after the administration missed a deadline to complete the reunification process.

{mosads}”There’s a lot going on right now—understatement of the year. The separation of families and the failure of the administration to reunite them has been eclipsed in the news in recent days, but these tragic circumstances persist,” Clinton wrote.

“First, it’s been nearly five weeks since the deadline for the administration to reunite families they separated at the border, but 528 children are still waiting to see their parents again,” she continued, linking to a number of negative headlines about the crisis.

Among the stories were a Washington Post op-ed accusing the Trump administration of deporting Mauritanian immigrants back to “modern-day slavery,” while another from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) showed the traumatizing effects of family separations on young children.

“We have to be better than this. Make sure your representatives continue to hear from you that families belong together, and give what you can to the efforts to reunite these children with their families,” she concluded.

There’s a lot going on right now—understatement of the year.

The separation of families and the failure of the administration to reunite them has been eclipsed in the news in recent days, but these tragic circumstances persist.

Here are some of the latest developments:

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2018

First, it’s been nearly five weeks since the deadline for the administration to reunite families they separated at the border, but 528 children are still waiting to see their parents again.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2018

The administration is deporting people back to slavery:https://t.co/poBa8S7bRn

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2018

Child welfare officials in Texas are investigating the death of a young girl who died after alleged inadequate treatment while she was being held with her mother in a detention facility:https://t.co/wtymgnaiEf

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2018

This heartbreaking video from the ACLU shows the consequences of separation: https://t.co/0NPjpAFd8u

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2018

These are just a few of countless stories that we should never read about events happening within our borders.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2018

We have to be better than this. Make sure your representatives continue to hear from you that families belong together, and give what you can to the efforts to reunite these children with their families.https://t.co/RvyCsc9HhI

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 28, 2018

The remarks are Clinton’s first on the issue since June, when the family separation crisis became a national issue and the Trump administration initially resisted calls to change the policy before the president signed an executive order halting the separations.

At the time, Clinton blasted the president for blaming the separations on Democrats, which she called an “outright lie.”

“This is not happening because of the ‘Democrats’ law,’ as the White House has claimed,” she said in June.

“Separating families is not mandated by law at all. That is an outright lie,” Clinton added. “It’s incumbent on all of us, journalists and citizens alike, to call it just that.”