Washington (CNN) First lady Melania Trump said she was "blindsided" by the administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy that led to family separations at the southern border and it prompted her unannounced visit there in June.

"I saw it on the news, and I reacted right away," Trump said in an interview for ABC News' special "Being Melania," which aired Friday night. "It was unacceptable for me to see children and parents separated. It was heartbreaking. And I reacted with my own voice."

Asked if she disagreed with the administration's zero-tolerance policy, Trump said, "Yes and I let him (the President) know. "I didn't know that that policy would come out. I was blindsided by it. I told him at home, and I said to him that I feel that's unacceptable, and he felt the same."

Trump said she would tell parents who are still separated from their children "to keep strong and that time will come. Everything needs to go through the court system."

Trump also was asked about her parents' path to citizenship during the interview. Viktor and Amalija Knavs obtained citizenship through the chain migration policy her husband derides.

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