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[firstname],
By now, you have probably have seen the awful images of children who have been taken from their parents at the border.
In fact, just on Friday, our government reported that nearly 2,000 children had been separated from their families between April 19th and May 31st.
Instead of acting to right this wrong, President Trump has tried to shift the blame.
He's tweeted that Democrats in Congress need to end this “horrible law” that is causing family separation.
The only problem? There is no law causing family separation.
The practice of splitting up families at the border is the direct result of his administration’s policy to criminally prosecute anyone crossing the U.S. border without prior authorization -- including families lawfully seeking asylum.
And the truth is that he could end it with one phone call.
I've traveled to Central America many times over the past 30 years. Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala are among the most violent countries in the world, with some of the highest rates of murdered women. Their daily lives are often filled with great trauma and terror.
Many of the families we see being separated today have fled this extreme violence and abuse to seek asylum in the United States. Their right to do so has long been recognized by international and federal law.
The Trump Administration is deliberately prosecuting parents and separating them from their children to try to deter these families.
You should know that although the President could end this policy right now, I have cosponsored several bills to force him to do so, including the Keep Families Together Act and the Protect Family Values At the Border Act. I have also written to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security urging them to bring an immediate end to the policy.
America has always been a country of compassion. That's why we speak out for our values abroad, offer humanitarian aid to those who are suffering, and welcome those fleeing persecution with open arms.
It is not a Democratic belief or a Republican belief to welcome those fleeing violence to our country -- it is an American belief.
I hope that President Trump will remember his responsibility as an elected official, as a father, and as an American -- and put an end to family separation right now.
James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
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