Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday pointed to the Bible to justify the Trump administration's policy of separating undocumented immigrant parents from their children. In doing so, Sessions said all laws are ordained by God and that having children does not protect people from prosecution.



"I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order," he said in a speech to law enforcement officers in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "If you cross the Southwest border unlawfully, then the Department of Homeland Security will arrest you and the Department of Justice will prosecute you. Having children does not give you immunity from arrest and prosecution."

He added that the US "goes to extraordinary lengths" to protect children while their parents go through the court process.

Multiple Christian pastors, including one prominent reverend who supports President Trump, have criticized Sessions over the practice of dividing families in recent weeks. Sen. James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma and a pastor himself, tweeted Thursday that he was petitioning the White House to reverse the policy.



Trump tweeted in late May that a "horrible law that separates children from there [sic] parents once they cross the Border" was the fault of Democrats.

It is not, in fact, the law.