ADVERTISEMENT

U.K.'s May Condemns Trump's Immigration Cages as `Wrong'

U.K.'s May Condemns Trump's Immigration Cages as `Wrong'

(Bloomberg) -- Theresa May called Donald Trump’s policy of separating immigrant children from parents who illegally cross the Mexican border --and keeping some of them in cages -- “deeply disturbing’’ and “wrong.’’

The U.S. president is due on a state visit to the U.K. on July 13, which means he is set to meet head of state Queen Elizabeth II, alongside political leaders. No official details of his itinerary have yet been released as officials figure out how to minimize the risks of anti-Trump protests.

Asked at her weekly question-and–answer session in Parliament if Trump should still come, the prime minister said the “special’’ and “long-enduring’’ relationship Britain has with the U.S. means that issues can be raised.

“The pictures of children being held in what appear to be cages are deeply disturbing,” she told lawmakers on Wednesday. “This is wrong. This is not something we agree with. This is not the U.K.’s approach.”

She went to to say: “When we disagree with the United States we say so. But we also have some key shared interests with the United States and it is right that we should be able to sit down with the president.’’

May needed Trump on board when she was looking for international support to kick out Russian diplomats over the spy-poisoning incident. She is also courting the U.S. for a free-trade agreement post-Brexit.

--With assistance from Thomas Penny.

To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.