RIO DE JANEIRO – Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai described as“cruel” a policy launched by U.S. President Donald Trump to separatechildren of illegal immigrants from their families, during her first visitto South America to promote girls’ education.

More than 2,300 children were separated from their parents after the Trumpadministration began a “zero tolerance” policy on illegal immigrants inearly May, seeking to prosecute all adults who cross the border illegallyfrom Mexico into the United States. Trump stopped separating families lastmonth following public outrage and court challenges.

“This is cruel, this is unfair and this is inhumane. I don’t know howanyone could do that,” Yousafzai told Reuters on Wednesday. “I hope thatthe children can be together with their parents.”

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Her stern words contrasted with her effusive praise last year for Canada’sembrace of refugees under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. At the WorldEconomic Forum in Davos this year, Malala also questioned Trump’s record onwomen’s rights.

Yousafzai, known widely by her first name, was visiting Rio de Janeiro tokick off the expansion of her education charity, the Malala Fund, intoLatin America, starting with Brazil.

Her aim in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, is to advocate for morepublic spending on education, a tall task after the country passed aconstitutional amendment freezing federal spending in real terms for twodecades in order to reduce public debt.

She also hopes to get an estimated 1.5 million girls currently not inschool into the classroom, with a special focus on minority groups who lagwhite children on key indicators like literacy and secondary schoolcompletion.