Reporters that his reversal on separating children from parents has limits and more families may ultimately be torn apart. This as the pentagon sk tois be told to prepare housing on u. S. Military bases for as many as 20,000 unaccompanied children. This hour, i will talk with the Homeland Security member, Kathleen Rice of new york, and with texas congressman orourke and our correspondents and analysts are standing by. First, lets go to jim acosta. We heard from the president and from the first lady today. Update our viewers. Reporter we did. The white house is struggling to explain what is happening to the children who were separated from their parents at the border. The president said his order ending the practice may be limited. The first lady, tried to show her compassion with a visit to the border only to step on her own message with a jacket that has to be seen to be believed. It was a tale of two trumps. The first lady attempted to show sympathy, visiting the children taken from their parents at the border, the president was creating more confusion, telling his cabinet his order aimed at ending the family separations is limited. I signed a very good executive order yesterday. Its limited. No matter how you cut it. It leads to separation ultimately. The president tried to downplay the conditions inside the facilities where the children are being held against their will. We have a situation where some of these places, they are running them well. Its the nicest that people have seen. Mr. Trump was playing politics, accusing dp e ining d seeking to turn them into resorts. They want us to take care of personnel and take everybody and lets run the most Luxurious Hotel in the world for everybody. They dont want to give us the money. The president falsely accused democrats of sparking the crisis. They have created and let it happen a massive child smuggling industry. Despite the images of suffering children seen arndt wor around the world, he sounded detached and bitter. Democrats pushed back on the notion they are to blame. Its a lie. Its a lie. In fact, he is the one who is creating chaos at every turn. Thank you so much. I heard you have 58 children here. 55. Down at the border, the first lady toured one facility for the children that looked more like an Elementary School and less like the jail shown in some photos from the region. Mrs. Trump wanted to know how the children are coping. When the children come here, what kind of stage, physical and mental stage they come here . Usually, they are distraught. She asked how she could lend a hand. I would like to ask you how i can help to these children to reunite with their families as quickly as possible. It was a message on her back that created a stir. I really dont care, do you, was the question scrawled across her jacket as she left for texas and as she returned to washington. The first ladys office said in a statement, there was no hidden message. We want to show you a couple of pictures of the first lady returning back to the white house just a short time ago. There she is going back into the oval office, walking down. We are told after she walked into the oval office and met with the president , she was joined by some communications officials. Then came this tweet from the president. The president trying to get out from under the jacket controversy. The president tweeting here, i really dont care, do you written on the back of the jacket refers to the fake news media. Melania learned how dishonest they are and she no longer cares. A couple of things we should mention about that tweet. One is, that directly contradicts what the first ladys office told us earlier this afternoon when they told us it was just a jacket. The other thing is that the media were down in texas covering the first ladys trip to show compassion with these children who have been separated from their parents on the border. It begs the question, if you are trying to troll the news media or go after the news media, why would you do it with a jack thatjacket that raises questions which was supposed to be the reason why she went down to the boarder to begin with . All good questions. Very strange. Jim acosta, thank you. Lets bring in our White House Reporter kate bennett. Kate traveled with the first lady to texas. Shes back at the white house right now. What are you learning about all of this, kate . Reporter clearly, the jacket has become a thing were talking about. We watched the first lady return to the white house and go to the oval office. Clearly, this wasnt a jacket she wore on the ground. She wore it on the way to texas, walking up to the plane and then we were surprised to see it again on the way back. Of course, during the flight home was when all the controversy came up. This 39 jacket with this writing on the back. I think if any first lady had worn a jacket with a Statement Like that, be it Michelle Obama or laura bush or anyone, there would be questions, clearly, its messaging. This is the first lady who is, in my opinion, used her fashion sense to reflect purpose. Whether thats traveling to another country and mirroring that countrys cull ture or the white pantsuit and white hat that many interpreted as beyonce. These are choices the first lady is making, clearly. Im going to read the tweet from her Communications Director about the jacket. She tweeted todays visit with the children in texas impacted flotus greatly. If media would spend time and energy on her actions and efforts to help kids rather than speculate and focus on her wardrobe, we would get so much accomplished on behalf of children. We certainly were focusing on her helping children. This was the first lady who very sneakily, if you will, opted to take this trip to texas. Her spokeswoman told us she declared almost two days ago to her staff and to the president , im going to texas. It wasnt an ask. This was her decision, her determination. This was her team that put together this trip in a quick amount of time considering all thats going on down there on the border. Today, we landed, we went right to this childrens facility. She asked a lot of questions at the round table. Another thing we dont typically get to see with the first lady whether when we travel with her. She asked whether the kids can contact their families via the phone. She asked about their emotional health, what they go through when they are processed. She spent time with these kids in classrooms as most of them were learning, practicing english, working on their studies. She spent time asking where they were from, how old they were. Nothing so much specifically how do you feel, how has it been without your family. She didnt touch on that. She did, of course, provide a bright light or some caring element that so far hands on this administration has not demonstrated and physically having someone go down there and then unfortunately, we were supposed to go to another facility, an intake facility where families are together. This is where they are processed right away after crossing the border. There was flash flooding in that area. The sweet streets were flooded. We came back home. Then the jacket. Sg in the mid 80s here in washington today. I wasnt clear why she was wearing a jacket. At least here in washington. There seems to be a clear contradiction. Her press secretary said she wasnt trying to send a message with the jacket. The president tweeted, you saw the tweet, i really dont care, do you, written on the back of melanias jacket refers to the fake news media. She has learned how dishonest they are. She no longer cares. What is it . Was she trying to send a message or the president says she was. Reporter i dont think it was to the media. I dont think it was trolling the media. I dont think it was any of those things. Im not sure what the message was. Again, i will say, this is a very i say there are no coincidences when it comes to a melania. This has become her personality not to comment and use nonverbal cues. Not sure what to believe. I think the president is clearly defending his wife. Thats a natural instinct for any husband and wife. I can sort of appreciate that aspect of it. You are right, it completely contradicts what her office is saying. Taking the focus away from the Immigration Crisis that as we saw firsthand today is happening on our borders under the watch of the administration and the first ladys visit. Im glad you traveled with her today. Thank you very much. We have gotten only limited glimpses inside the facilities where the separated children are being housed. Journalists and members of congress have been turned away often. Jason carroll got some access to a facility outside new york city. He is joining us now. What were the conditions like at the place you got some access to . Reporter wolf, the facility that we got access to in west chester, north of new york city, is nothing like those terrible images that we have seen at the facilities on the border. We were given access to a place called the childrens village. Its a foster care facility where children can live on site. The head of the facility says that in the last few days, they received 20 children between the ages of 9 and 17, children separated from their parents at the border. The children there at that facility, they have access to medical care. They are housed in individual rooms like the one that you see there. They have access to recreation. Jeremy, he is the man who runs the facility, he is a longtime advocate for keeping Families Together. He says that while he cannot comment specifically on some of the children in his care due to the contract that they have with the federal government, he says the current immigration policy simply must be changed. Its frustrating and heartbreaking. I know we can do it better. I know that theres absolutely no reason for us to take these steps. This kind of forced separation has permanent damage. Psychological, fear, anxiety. The fear of the unknown. If this could happen to me, what else could happen to me . Reporter what you saw there, wolf, he took us into the medical facility, took us into a room there as well. He gave us a sense a real keen sense of what these children have been saying to them, saying to the workers who are caring for them. He talked about the anxiety the children have been feeling. The biggest concern that our children have had recently is about for their parents. Its not even about themselves. Is my mom okay . Is my dad going to be okay . Where are they . Whats happening . Thats the anxiety. Reporter this tour completed just a short while ago. One of the key points that they wanted to get across is this is a facility thats really made it a concerted effort to get some of the children in contact with their parents. The way they have been able to do that is over the phone with some of the children. Obviously, these phone calls they describe them as being very, very emotional. They said they really see this as being the first step in Building Trust between some of these children and their caregivers. Thanks very much Jason Carroll for that report. Joining us now, representative Kathleen Rice of new york. Shes a democrat, a member of the house Homeland Security committee. Thanks for joining us. Lets get to some of the sensitive issues. I know you have strong views. 700 children separated from their parents are now in your home state, my home state of new york. According to an estimate by the governor, governor cuomo. What do you know about their exact status . Its very hard to get any information, wolf. What we know is that there was a tendency to send the youngest of the children to new york, because we have laws that protect children in custody. In that respect, its a good thing. Im going to once i leave here and get back home, were going to try to visit as many of the facilities as possible to see how the children are being treated and what attempts they are making to reunify them with their guardians and parents. Do you know if they will be reunited with their parents . I gotta tell you, i dont see how it could possibly happen. To be frank, the administration has basically admitted that. There is no way that they can reunify these children with their parents. They didnt take any information at the time that they took them from them. A lot of these kids barely know their own names, dont speak english. This reunification process is going to be next to impossible it seems to me. I hope people really understand that. There are 2,300 children who may never see their parents again, ever. Thats on us. This country, the United States of america. Its heartbreaking to think along those lines. Its terrible. You serve on the house Homeland Security committee. Have you received clear guidance on what the president s executive order that he signed yesterday really means for these families . The executive order means nothing, wolf. This is my opinion. The only thing that the executive order establishes is that this policy that was put in place clearly came from this president and this administration. For all of those days and weeks where his Administration Officials and the president himself were saying this is all congress problem, theyre the only ones that can fix it, sitting in the oval office with that dramatic fashion and signing that executive order just proved that lie. All of those statements from kirstjen nielsen, john kelly, Jeff Sessions, they were all lying to protect the original lie from our chief executive. When is this going to stop . Whats going to happen is they may stop at the port of capturing these people and taking them into their custody, they might not separate the children from their parents at that time. But the law here is very clear that within 20 days, those children can no longer be held in custody. The Trump Administration is seeking an extension of that time period. Its not likely the court will give them that. We will have another problem on our hands. Do you know if the families are still being separated as we speak . Apparently that has stopped. Its only a matter of time before they will eventually be separated. Because of the decision that says you can not hold children for longer than 20 days. I dont know by the way, this is on trump. This is on this administration. This is such a vile and out and out mean policy. If you heard Jeff Sessions when he had the a he quoted gods laws. Thats offensive to me. As an american, he should be ashaa sha shame ashamed of himself. They said the zero tolerance policy is still in place. Do you have an answer on whether parents will criminally prosecuted . They will. They are actually bringing active military members down to the border to act as lawyers. They dont know anything about immigration law. They dont know anything about federal procedure. They have no intention of handling this as civil matters. They want to handle these as criminal matters. Thats a policy decision thats on the shoulders of this president. This department of justice under Jeff Sessions. Congress can do nothing about that. This is within their discretion. I know you speak as a former prosecutor. The Justice Department is trying to modify whats called the flores agreement. Are there powers that allow them to try to change that court order . They have to go to court. Thats what theyre doing. I think the likely outcome is that the court will say, no, too bad. This is the way it is. You will have to figure out what were going to do. Were not going to allow children, infants in some cases, to be imprisoned in the country for what could be years given the lack of resources we have to actually process these amnesty claims to say nothing of the criminal investigations that they are going full steam ahead with. Thanks for joining us. Thank you for having me. Just ahead, more on the Big Questions hanging over the president s policy on detained families and the fate of children separated from their parents. We will take you like to a virginia facility where young immigrant children allegedly have been handcuffed, abused and beaten. Its singleorigin kenyan coffee from the nyeri highlands, 6,000 feet above sea level. But how do you really know that the beans journeyed to the port of mombasa and across the pacific . That you can trust theyre 100 authentic . Ibm blockchain. A smart way to track every step, ensuring this coffee did indeed come from 6,000 feet above sea level. And not a foot lower. Let someone else do the heavy lifting. Tripadvisor compares prices from over 200 booking sites to find the right hotel for you at the lowest price. So you barely have to lift a finger. Or a wing. Tripadvisor. [ drum roll ]. Emily lapier from ames, iowa. This is emilys third nomination and first win. Um. So, just. Wow um, first of all, to my fellow nominees, it is an honor sharing the road with you. 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Brian todd is at a facility in virginia thats been targeted in a major lawsuit. What are you learning about the conditions there . Reporter wolf, one former detainee, a young immigrant who spent a year at this facility, describes getting a bag placed over his head and thinking, quote, theyre going to receive indicate suffocate me, theyre going to kill me. We have new information. Suffocate me, theyre going to kill me. We have new information. Suffocate me, theyre going to kill me. We have new information. Suffocate me, theyre going to kill me. W