Washington, D.C. – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and a senior member of House Democratic leadership, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s family separation policy:
“President Trump’s policy of separating children from their parents is cruel, it is un-American, and it is evil. There is no law requiring that these children be ripped away from their parents – this is a policy of choice. In fact, U.S. and international law specifically protects those who arrive at our border seeking asylum. The President could end this policy today with a single call – yet he has instead chosen to use these vulnerable children as a political bargaining chip.
“This is not who we are as a nation. A majority of Americans do not support this, and will not tolerate such terrible acts of inhumanity from our own government.
“Democrats in Congress have introduced the Keep Families Together Act to stop family separations. If the Republican majority wants to end this outrageous situation, they could do so in a heartbeat – by supporting this bill. I hope my Republican colleagues find the political courage and basic human decency to do so.”