Sarah Sanders says migrant families deserved to be tear gassed: 'We've encouraged them to follow the law'

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday insisted that the Trump administration does not want to tear gas women and children after the border patrol used the chemical on migrant families.

In the first White House "daily" briefing in nearly a month, Sanders was asked about a Sunday incident on the U.S. border where migrant families and their children were forced to flee tear gas deployed by the Border Patrol.

"Certainly the White House would never want children to be in harm's way in any capacity whatsoever," Sanders insisted. "However, that is why we are continuing to encourage people to follow the law and go to ports of entry."

"Law enforcement officials have used appropriate non-lethal force to protect themselves and prevent an illegal rush across the border," she continued, noting that the "Obama presidency" had also deployed tear gas on multiple occasions.

"They didn't have the same rush that we're seeing in this mass caravan taking place," Sanders said. "No one wants women or children or any individuals to have this happen, which is why we've encouraged them to follow the law and go to ports of entry."

Watch the video below from CNN.