All 5 first ladies speak out against family-separation immigration policy Hillary Clinton said it's a humanitarian crisis, and Laura Bush called it cruel.

All five living first ladies have weighed in on the the Trump administration's immigration policy this week, an unusual move even as Melania Trump had her spokeswoman issue a statement on it.

The policy of separating children from their family members when they cross the border illegally has prompted debate in Washington, with many rights groups calling the practice inhumane.

The Trump administration has said it's simply enforcing a law to prosecute adults that come into the U.S. illegally and that children cannot be housed with adults while they are going through the criminal process.

A spokeswoman for First Lady Melania Trump said she "hates to see" families separated and called on both Democrats and Republicans to change immigration laws.

"Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform," the first lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement. "She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart."

Laura Bush wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Post on Sunday that she understands the need to secure the borders but that the current situation reminds her of Japanese Internment Camps.

Michelle Obama retweeted Bush, adding that "sometimes truth transcends party."

Hillary Clinton also shared Bush's article and said there is no law to support the policy, tweeting that the situation is a "humanitarian crisis" and that parents should be "outraged."

Rosalynn Carter also weighed in, calling the policy a disgrace and that she has seen first hand the trauma of separating children from their parents.