The policy is unpopular, and vulnerable Republicans in competitive districts stand to be punished by voters in the midterms if this continues much longer. So Trump is trying to flip the script.
Under the legislation, children would be held in the same place as their parents if the parents are detained. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., says he'd back a compromise bill.
The Trump administration is scrambling to find shelter space for a growing number of juveniles who have been separated from their parents under the policy of prosecuting all illegal border crossers.
Police found them living in squalor. Their parents were charged after an investigation revealed "a long and continuous history of severe physical and emotional abuse."
First lady Melania Trump has kept a relatively low profile, but she'll take a traditional step next week when she unveils a suite of policy initiatives focused on children.
The effects of such weapons are more devastating for a number of reasons. And if children survive, they suffer from the trauma of the attack for far more years because they have more years to live.