John Kelly: judge me on what Trump didn't do while I was chief of staff

Retired general gives interview to Los Angeles Times

Statements on immigration and more likely to anger president

Martin Pengelly
@MartinPengelly

Sun 30 Dec 2018 08.13 EST Last modified on Sun 30 Dec 2018 08.15 EST

As Donald Trump attracted criticism for blaming the deaths of children in US custody on Democrats opposed to his demands for a border wall, outgoing White House chief of staff John Kelly said he had “nothing but compassion” for migrants attempting to enter the US without documentation.

“Illegal immigrants, overwhelmingly, are not bad people,” Kelly said, describing many migrants as victims misled by traffickers. “I have nothing but compassion for them, the young kids.”

Two young Guatemalan children have died in US custody this month. Amid debate, the causes of death remain unknown.

Kelly, a retired Marines general, spoke in an interview with the Los Angeles Times conducted by phone on Friday and published on Sunday morning. He will leave the White House on Wednesday. His remarks, jarring with those of the president, echoed those of his successor as homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, who visited the border this weekend.

In a statement released around the same time on Saturday that Trump tweeted that “any deaths of children or others at the border are strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies”, Nielsen said: “The system is clearly overwhelmed and we must work together to address this humanitarian crisis and protect vulnerable populations.”

Nielsen also called on Congress to “act with urgency”. That is unlikely during a standoff over funding for Trump’s wall which has now led to a nine-day government shutdown.

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/30/john-kelly-donald-trump-los-angeles-times-interview