Culture & Artsmelania trumpfamily separationdetained children

An Artist Fixed Melania Trump's Jacket And Gave It To 'A Real First Lady'

New York illustrator Justin Teodoro wanted it to reflect the public outrage over family separations at the border.
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By 

Senior Editor, HuffPost

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New York artist Justin Teodoro has felt angry, saddened and disgusted by President Donald Trump’s zero tolerance policy that has left thousands of immigrant children separated from their parents seeking asylum on the U.S.-Mexico border. 

When first lady Melania Trump wore a jacket that read “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” on her way to visit an immigrant children’s center on Thursday, Teodoro felt he needed to respond.

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First lady Melania Trump returns from her visit to immigrant children on the Mexico border on June 21.
MANDEL NGAN via Getty Images

“I think seeing what the first lady wore on her visit today totally appalled and shocked me and was just beyond tone deaf,” Teodoro told HuffPost. “I guess I just needed to react in my own small way and draw a response ― not with anger but with hope because I do believe love trumps hate.”

So he reimagined the first lady’s jacket to reflect the public outrage about families being ripped apart at the border. He posted the illustration to Instagram. 

In the first two hours, it was liked nearly 3,000 times. The image was also shared rapidly on Instagram, reposted by multiple accounts including those belonging to New York Magazine and author Elizabeth Gilbert.

“I wanted to illustrate the Statue of Liberty (a real first lady) wearing what we all feel and holding the hand of that little girl whose image we’ve seen everywhere and taking care of her because that is what she and all these children deserve,” Teodoro told HuffPost. 

The toddler in the viral Getty Images photo was also featured by Time magazine on its new cover with the headline “Welcome to America.” Some people have called on the magazine to find the toddler and pay her.

The 2-year-old girl and her mother had come from Honduras seeking asylum.  

Before You Go

Immigrant Families At The U.S.-Mexico Border
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Undocumented immigrants who turned themselves in after crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S. await processing near McAllen, Texas, on April 2, 2018. (credit:Loren Elliott / Reuters)
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Families who crossed the border near McAllen, Texas, on May 9, 2018. (credit:Loren Elliott / Reuters)
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A U.S. Border Patrol spotlight shines on a mother and son from Honduras on June 12, 2018, in McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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Central Americans seeking asylum wait as U.S. Border Patrol agents take them into custody on June 12, 2018, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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A Honduran mother stands with her family at the U.S.-Mexico border fence on Feb. 22, 2018, near Penitas, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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U.S. Border Patrol agents take a Central American family into custody on June 12, 2018 near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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U.S. Border Patrol agents take a father and son from Honduras into custody near the U.S.-Mexico border on June 12, 2018, near Mission, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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A Central American family waits to be taken into custody on June 12, 2018, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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Central American migrants wait as U.S. Border Patrol agents take people into custody on June 12, 2018, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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Two women and a child who crossed the border on Feb. 22, 2018, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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A Honduran child who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border with her family on Jan. 4, 2017, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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U.S. Border Patrol agents take Central American immigrants, including this young child, into custody on Jan. 4, 2017, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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A Honduran woman and child on Jan. 4, 2017, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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A U.S. Border Patrol agent checks birth certificates while taking Central American immigrants into detention on Jan. 4, 2017, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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Adults and children await processing near McAllen, Texas, on April 2, 2018. (credit:Loren Elliott / Reuters)
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Guatemalan immigrant families turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol near McAllen, Texas, on May 8, 2018. (credit:Loren Elliott / Reuters)
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U.S. Border Patrol agents take Central American immigrants into custody on Jan. 4, 2017, near McAllen, Texas. (credit:John Moore via Getty Images)
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