Melania Trump Unveils Be Best Ambassadors to 'Improve Lives of Children' As Migrant Kids Face 'Inhumane' Conditions

First lady Melania Trump on Monday announced new Be Best ambassadors to help "improve the lives of children," at the same time as the Trump administration continues to receive heavy criticism for the conditions that migrant children face in border detention facilities.

A White House press release stated that Trump was expanding her signature Be Best initiative aimed at helping children, with 21 ambassadors from agencies within the administration that will serve as liaisons with the East Wing.

The ambassadors will "help further the First Lady's goal of educating children and parents about the issues they face," and "will focus on resources and opportunities to help make a difference in the lives of children," the release states. They will act as points of contact for pushing Be Best forward in their agencies.

"I am thrilled that we have identified and partnered with so many organizations both inside and outside of government to help promote and expand the three pillars of BE BEST. As we move into the next phase of my initiative, I look forward to the work ahead," Trump said in a statement. "There is no greater opportunity than that of helping children reach their fullest potential as they grow up."

The first lady also tweeted: "Looking forward to collaborating with all of our #BeBest Ambassadors. Delighted to be working alongside so many people both inside and outside of government to better the lives of children everywhere!"

But the timing of the announcement is likely to spark a further backlash against an initiative that has already attracted a fair amount of criticism for focusing on anti-bullying efforts on social media while the president has continued to blast critics on Twitter.

Last week, the Trump administration argued in court that migrant children detained at the U.S.'s southern border with Mexico do not need soap, toothbrushes, towels and other basic hygiene products to be held in "safe and sanitary" conditions. The first lady has not spoken out against the argument.

At the same time, a group of lawyers who conducted 60 interviews with migrant children at a detention facility in El Paso, Texas, reported dismal treatment.

"In my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention, I have never heard of this level of inhumanity," Holly Cooper, co-director of the University of California, Davis' Immigration Law Clinic, told the Associated Press. "Seeing our country at this crucible moment where we have forsaken children and failed to see them as human is hopefully a wake up for this country to move toward change.

Just hours after the Be Best announcement, critics attacked the White House for the incongruity of the two situations.

"Is this White House seriously sending out this 'be best' bs while children are being tortured?" tweeted Tiffany Cross, managing editor of The Beat DC which focuses on the intersection of politics, policy and people of color. "If @FLOTUS wants to help children face challenges, get them the f*ck out of these torture chambers! Whew! I'm Beat!"

Another Twitter user replied with an image of Trump's infamous "I Really Don't Care Do U?" jacket she wore en route to visiting children detained at the border as a result of the administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

"Why don't you go," the Twitter user wrote, "Down to the southern border where kids are being intentionally abused and be your best there?!" There is no evidence that migrant children are being intentionally abused.

The first lady's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Newsweek on Monday.