US First Lady Melania Trump speaks: Trump has now admitted, things have gone too far

In politics, advisers love to devise bold policies backed by big figures. But the mood in a building can change quickly when a sweeping government measure suddenly affects someone close to you.

Trouble at home: President Donald Trump is increasingly displeased with the widespread deportation campaign led by Stephen Miller, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff, after it has affected First Lady Melania Trump’s inner circle.

This is according to the Irish Star. Since the start of the President’s second term, Miller has led large-scale nationwide raids.

His latest initiative sets daily arrest targets of around 3,000 non-citizens, aims to deport every undocumented person in America, and demands that ICE detention centres be “as inhumane as possible”. According to the Irish Star, this crackdown has recently affected some of the First Lady’s close friends. The 56-year-old First Lady, born in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, is a legal US citizen who still has many friends among the immigrant community. After she complained to her husband about the deportations, an insider told the Wall Street Journal that the President had informed his advisers that Miller’s agenda had “gone too far”.

Resistance in conservative states: Anger over the raids extends far beyond the East Wing. According to the Irish Star, Republicans in conservative states such as Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas are warning that the arrests could deal a severe blow to their agricultural sectors.

Data from the Centre for Migration Studies shows that 86 per cent of US farm workers were born abroad and 45 per cent are undocumented. This is fuelling fears that the loss of labour will drive up prices for beef and food.

Lawmakers also spoke out following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a young ICU nurse from Minneapolis. Following the nurse’s death, GOP Senators Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, together with MPs Andrew Garbarino and Michael McCaul, as well as Governors Kevin Stitt and Jim Scott, called for a joint federal and state investigation into the use of force and the credibility of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Thom Tillis has repeatedly called for Miller’s dismissal. When asked on the CNN programme *State of the Union* whether the adviser should go, Tillis replied: Oh, of course I do.

He described Miller as a major problemin this administration who exerts excessive influence over the operations of the Cabinet. It gives me pause that people like Stephen Miller were the ones making the decisions, Tillis added on CNN.

Francis Tawiah (Duisburg, Germany)