Bannon on Separated Children: ‘The Morality Is the Law — They Are Criminals When They Come Across Illegally’

Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said the separating of immigrant children from their families does not have to be justified because “the morality is the law.”

Partial transcript as follows:

BANNON: The president says give me a border wall for security, and we won’t have this problem. He has a zero tolerance situation. He’s drawn a line in the sand. I don’t think he’s going to back off from. And by the way, I don’t see the mainstream media, the liberal left embracing the Angel moms, those people that were permanently separated from their children because illegal aliens that came over here and committed crimes and killed people. You’re very selective.

KARL: No no, Steve, this is a U.S. policy. We are taking and separating these young children from their parents at the border. What about the morality of it.

BANNON: The morality is the law. They’re criminals when they come across illegally. That’s why they’re getting separated. And by the way, if they’re calling asylum and still going to the detention centers, though the detention centers are now full, that is the Obama policy right from 2014.

KARL: The children are criminals?

BANNON: They are not. The law, because of the consent decree means children cannot stay with children that are being charged with a crime. This is the law. Donald Trump is put in a terrible situation. Why he’s put in a terrible situation because of the permanent political class in the city has not wanted to address this. Donald Trump has gone against his base more than any president to show a profile in courage to say, ‘Hey, look, we have to try to work this out.’ The base doesn’t support the policies that Donald Trump is trying to push through with Paul Ryan. Donald Trump is leading his base to that. He’s shown more leadership than Bush he has shown more leadership than Obama. And now that he has a zero-tolerance policy, he’s being ganged up on by the mainstream media.

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