Transcript for Trump meets with Angel families as questions persist about immigration policy

Meantime, president trump is trying to switch the focus from separated families at the border to those who have lost loved ones at the hands of undocumented immigrants. C's white house correspondent Tara Palmeri is at the white house with the heated battle over immigration. Tara, good morning. Reporter: Good morning, whit. That's right. There's been widespread confusion from the white house down to the border agents on the ground about how to actually implement this executive order whilmaintaining the president's zero tolerance immigration policy. It's very reminiscent of the rollouof the travel ban. You never hear this side. You don't kn what's going on. Reporter: President trump capping off a chaotic week with anothepush for zero tolerance immigration policy shifting focus to American parents whose children were killed by undocumeed immigrants. These are the American citizens permanently separated from their loved one they're not sepated for a day or two days, they are permanently separated cause they were killed by criminal illegal aliens. Reporter: Multiple studies show undocumented immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than American citizens. The president's common coming as his administration struggles with a crisis on the border whermigrant children are being separated from their parents. Earlier this week the president personally lobbied lawmakers on capitol hill to pass immigration reform. Trump relenting from his hard line by issuing an executive order to stop separating families that cross the border illegally. Along with this message. To congress. We're also wanting to go through congress. We will be going through congress. We're working on a much more comprehense bill. Reporter: But just days later the president switching gears, tweeting Republicans should stop wasting their time on immigration until after we elect more senators and ngressmen/womein November. The confusion on capitol hill mounting as his quick fix, an executive order, is being held up in a California court. The administration seeking to change a law that requires the release of detained children within 20 days. The government now arguing for a longer period as long as the children are with THR parents. "The New York Times" reporting that border protection officials are questioning how to carry out the executive order to detain parents and children together. When the L requires that children not be held indefinitely in jail. At a hearing yesteay, a government lawyer uldn't answer basic queions about how they'll reunite families or even if they'll continue detaining them saying, quote, that's still in flux. Dan. A lot of questis, a lot of confusion this morning. Tara, thank you very much. Let's go back to texashere we find ABC news chief political analyst Matthew dowd. Matthew, good morning. As we saw the top of Tara's piece, the president clely is attempting to change the narrative here withis meeting with the families he Cal angel families. Is that strategy likely to work? Reporter: Well, you know, every American and all of us have great compassion for anybody that's been a tim of violent crime, but I tnk it's important tonderscore one thing that Tara said, which is illegal immigrants or immigrants at all commit crimes at a much less rate than American citizens and native born citizens. I think the president's problem here is this was not a great show, a great show of compassion but what's happening at the border is going to continue to be story after story and until immigration is dealt with, that is the story that's going to take place over the course of the next days, months and weeks ahead. So I think it's going to be very hard for the president to shift it to what he wants because it's still going to be about the border. You tald about dealing with immigration. For days the president and his advisers and his family members were calling on congress to act. Now as Tara just reported, the president is tweeting out don't waste yourime. So, where does this leave us legislatively? To me it's highly, highly unlikely anythg will happen on immigration before November and it's probably even as high that anything is going to happen November, whicis unfortunate because it'seen an issue. One thing that's important for viewers to keep in mind is that esident bush tried to do this Ana certain group of hse GOP members killed it under president bush. Esident Obama tried to do this, and a certain group of house GOP members killed it under president Obama. So, I think the president is formally acknowledging that he has no control over the circumstances, but until we deal with this issue of immigration, we're going to constantly have this problem both with criminal elements and the crisis that we see the border today. Such a thorny topic all the way around. Matthew dowd, we appreciate your analysis a Saturday morning.

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