A former U.S. ambassador to Mexico is criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration policies as “un-American” and counterproductive.
“Unless the administration can address the reasons why migrants from Mexico and Central America are coming to the U.S., no amount of draconian and frankly, un-American policies, as I believe these are, is really going to make a permanent difference, but it may affect our own standing in the world and certainly in the region,” Roberta Jacobson told NPR’s Weekend Edition.
“When I was in Mexico, I watched an over 30-percent drop in the U.S. approval rating. That matters over time for politicians who want to work with us. So I think these policies are both wrong but also counterproductive,” Jacobson added.{mosads}
Jacobson — who was the ambassador from the last months of the Obama administration through May — said that the Trump administration’s policies would only hurt the U.S. and the nations migrants are leaving.
“It is very difficult to see how these policies either help the United States or the countries from which the migrants are coming,” she said.
Last month, the Trump administration began implementing a “zero tolerance” policy that resulted in migrant children being separated for their parents when detained at the border.
Recently, the administration also changed asylum laws so that people fleeing domestic violence and gang violence are no longer eligible to apply for asylum.
The administration’s policies have been widely criticized by a number of lawmakers, advocacy groups, medical experts and religious leaders.