WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) — Rep. Susan Davis (CA-53) led her House colleagues in calling on the Trump Administration to immediately start reuniting separated families. They asked key questions on how the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services are actually going to reunite separated family members.
The letter comes after President Trump signed an executive order temporarily ending the practice of separating families crossing the southern border but has not specified exactly how or when families will be reunited.
“Since thousands of children are still detained and separated from their families, the Administration owes it to the American people to tell us exactly how and when they plan to reunite them,” Rep. Davis said.
The full letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar II and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen can be read below.
Dear Secretary Azar and Secretary Nielsen:
We are writing with deep concerns about the consequences of your Administration’s “zero-tolerance policy” for the families crossing our southern border. Today, President Trump signed an executive order to detain families together, but over 2,000 children have already been separated from their parents and placed under the jurisdiction of U.S. Department Health and Human Services (HHS).
Despite statements from Secretary Nielsen during the June 18, 2018 press conference stating that separated children are being returned to their parents, there have been no confirmed cases of family reunification after children were placed in HHS custody. We join the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Public Health Association in their stated concerns about the impact of family separation on the physical and mental health of children, and urge the Administration to reunite families immediately.
Given these concerns, we ask that you clarify DHS and HHS policy regarding the over 2,000 children currently in custody and any future children that will be separated from their parents as a result of this Administration’s recent immigration decisions.
- Please state what processes are in place at DHS and HHS to coordinate the reunification of children with their families after being separated. To what extent are the agencies sharing information?
- What are the active measures taken by the agencies to communicate information about the children’s whereabouts with their families, attorneys, and advocates?
- How many children have been reunited with the parents they traveled with since the establishment of the “zero-tolerance policy”? How many children have been placed with other relatives or caretakers that HHS contacted?
- Many of the detained children have the contact information for other relatives who live in the United States, but some of these relatives do not have legal immigration status. Is this contact information available for deportation purposes or shared Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)?
Everyone, regardless of party affiliation, can understand the heartbreak and trauma of being separated from their children. As we continue to call on the Administration to end this inhumane practice, we know that thousands of children are still detained and separated from their families. Thank you for your consideration of this request, we look forward to a timely response.
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In a related development in response to President Trump’s Executive Order “Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation”, Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, said: “President Trump’s Executive Order does not solve the state of moral emergency that he himself created — families will still be separated and detained until he ends his own ‘zero tolerance’ policy. Instead, this order opens the door to indefinite detention of these families in facilities that are unsafe for children, or to expedited deportations back to the violence they fled, before families have been able to properly exercise their legal right to seek asylum. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are not only perpetuating the false idea that this crisis requires a Congressional fix, they are voting tomorrow on legislation that will only serve to harm and further criminalize immigrant families.
“The President has the power to immediately end his torture of immigrant families. He must reverse his disastrous ‘zero tolerance’ policy, reunite families, end this cycle of detention and deportation, and allow those fleeing violence to seek asylum. If he fails to do so, the American people must not be silent in the face of his cruelty and authoritarianism. We must speak out and demand an immigration policy that lives up to the Jewish values of compassion, mercy and a fundamental belief in human dignity.”
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action is leading more than 140 Jewish organizations, synagogues and community institutions in declaring a ‘state of moral emergency’ in response to President Trump’s recent actions on immigration. More than 15,000 Jewish Americans have also signed the declaration condemning the Trump administration’s actions and urging the American people to speak up against its anti-immigrant agenda.
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Preceding provided by Rep. Susan Davis and by Bend the Arc
Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) issued this statement following the Trump Administration’s Executive Order to indefinitely detain families attempting to enter the United States without a valid visa, regardless of whether they are seeking asylum.
“This Order might appear to provide a short-term fix on behalf of desperate families, but it instead is seriously flawed and destined to fail. The courts have already ruled that it is against the law to detain children indefinitely, which is what is called for in this Executive Order. It will be challenged immediately. Instead of using Executive Orders to score political points, we should come up with a real plan to address the serious lack of judges that decide immigration cases, and focus on bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform,” said Rep. Peters.
“While families wait for a decision on their immigration status, we can treat them with respect and dignity that demonstrates American values to the rest of the world. I stand ready to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass legislation to address this humanitarian crisis,” Rep. Peters continued.
The 1993 Flores v. Reno decision held that unaccompanied minors cannot be detained for more than 20 days. It required the government to prioritize placing children with a relative or family friend without unnecessary delay, and set a standard of care for children held in detention. Any attempt to indefinitely detain children with their parents violates these court rulings. In 2016, a Ninth Circuit Court found that the Flores decision also applies to children who arrived in the country with their family.
While a recent government spending bill provided funding for 100 new immigration judges, reports indicate that more than 524 judges—and their staff—are needed to process the backlog of cases in the immigration court system.
Yesterday, Rep. Peters helped introduce the Keep Families Together Act, which would prohibit Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials from separating children from their parents, except in extraordinary circumstances. Last week, he spoke out on the House floor to demand an immediate change to the separation policy. Rep. Peters joined his colleagues in early June to ask that the Appropriations Committee limit the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to use funds allocated to separate children and parents.
Congressman Peters serves the 52nd District of California, which covers much of central San Diego County including Poway, Coronado, and large portions of the City of San Diego. He is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. The Congressman is a former environmental attorney, City Council President, and Port Commission Chairman.