10 things you need to know today: June 19, 2018

Trump defends separating undocumented immigrant families, Kim Jong Un visits China to brief leaders on Trump summit, and more

President Trump speaks in the East Room
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

1. Trump defends separation of migrant families

President Trump on Monday defended his administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policies against growing outrage over the separation of migrant children from their parents. Trump said tough action against illegal immigration was critical for U.S. security and sovereignty, declaring that he would not let the country "be a migrant camp" on his watch. Trump also said the policy was "the Democrats' fault" for lenient policies that made the U.S. a magnet for migrant families. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents under the policy in the last six weeks. Evangelical leaders and four former first ladies have joined lawmakers from both parties in condemnation, with many of the critics calling images of children in fenced pens a national disgrace.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.