Melania Trump visits border detention centre: 'Wants to learn and educate herself'

Melania Trump has visited a detention centre for a second time, to observe children brought across the Mexico-US border illegally by their parents.

Melania, 48, attended the centre in Arizona in an effort "learn and educate" herself about immigration issues.

"She really wants to learn and educate herself about issues on the border," her spokesperson Stephanie Grisham told reporters.

"She wants to talk to people on the frontlines and she wants to thank them for their oftentimes dangerous work."

The First Lady began visiting the centre after husband, President Donald Trump, came under fire for allegedly separating illegal immigrant parents from their children.

Despite criticism for wearing a jacket saying, "I really don't care. Do u?" the first lady is also said to have pressured her husband to change his hardline approach after images of distressed children attracted negative attention from the US and around the world.

During this visit. Melania visited a border patrol centre in Tuscon, Arizona, where immigrants are brought when they are first detained.

She held meetings with border patrol officers, immigration agents, US marshals and a local ranger.

"She'll continue to give her husband her opinion on what her thoughts are on family reunification," Grimshaw also told reporters.

Since April, more than 2,300 immigrant children have reportedly been separated from their parents after the Trump administration implemented a 'zero tolerance' policy for illegal immigrants.

The administration defended the decision, saying they were aiming to protect children from human smuggling, trafficking and other illegal actions.

Illegal immigrants often don't have any documentation to prove family ties, making management of the situation difficult.

Earlier this week, a US court blocked the administration from separating families at the border and ordered all children be reunited with their parents in 30 days.

During last Thursday's visit to a detention centre in McAllen in Texas, Melania said she wanted to see the children reunited with their families quickly.

The Trump administration has requested the US military provide shelter for as many as 12,000 people: 55 children from Honduras and El Salvador are in the McAllen detention centre.