Homeland Security secretary gets shredded on Twitter after she lies about policy that separates families at border

The debate is as heated online as it is offline.
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
Homeland Security secretary gets shredded on Twitter after she lies about policy that separates families at border
The debate over separating undocumented children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border has spilled over on Twitter Credit: Getty Images

As the debate rages on about the Trump administration's horrific policy of separating undocumented parents from their children as they attempt to cross the border between the United States and Mexico, the fight between officials and lawmakers has spilled over onto social media.

One tweet, in particular, from Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen, has served as a flashpoint. She tweeted on Sunday that the DHS doesn't "have a policy of separating families at the border. Period."

But images and videos across social media as well as a plethora of well-reported stories have offered substantial evidence to the contrary, relaying stories and even showing tent cities created for undocumented children separated from their families.


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What's more, journalists and lawmakers made note of previous comments Nielsen has made in defense of the same policy she tweeted doesn't exist.

Nielsen didn't exactly help herself, either, on Monday morning by saying, "We will not apologize for doing out job."

Lawmakers have jumped in, calling out Nielsen and her statement, labeling it a lie, and challenging both the Trump administration and Nielsen to address the growing crisis that is spiraling out of control.

While it's mostly been Democrats reacting to Nielsen's statement, some Republicans, including former First Lady Laura Bush, have publicly opposed the Trump administration's policy.

As of Monday morning, though, Trump was back on Twitter himself and, though he didn't address Nielsen's comments directly, he did address the issue but in the most horrendous way, continuing to blame Democrats.

We truly live in the worst, darkest timeline.

UPDATE: June 18, 2018, 10:58 a.m. EDT Updated to include new comments from Sec. Nielsen

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Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

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