Ex-White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon on Sunday defended separating illegal immigrant children from their parents, saying President Donald Trump is “being ganged up on” and demonized for adhering to the law.
In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” Bannon said “the morality is the law. They’re criminals when they come across illegally. That’s why they’re getting separated.”
“It’s zero tolerance. I don’t think you have to justify it,” Bannon asserted. “We have a crisis on the Southern border but the elites in the city … want to manage situations to bad outcomes. And Donald Trump is not going to do that.”
“This is the law,” he added. “Donald Trump is put in a terrible situation… because of the political class in the city has not wanted to address this. … He's shown more leadership than [former Presidents George W.] Bush and [Barack] Obama. Now, a zero tolerance policy, he’s being ganged up on.”
Bannon said Trump “has a great saying when he’s talking to you: ’No games.’”
“We have to stop the games in the city,” Bannon said. “This is… a game to demonize him. This is the security and sovereignty of the nation. We're not helping the people bringing the the kids up.”
He also blames Pope Francis for encouraging the migration crisis.
“The pope, more than anybody else, has driven the migrant crisis in Europe,” declared Bannon, who is Catholic. “The Catholic church. I have gone after [New York Archbishop] Cardinal [Timothy] Dolan. The Catholic church is one of the worst instigators of this open borders policy.”