WASHINGTON, D.C. — A letter just sent to Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly calls for the Department of Homeland Security to reject border policies that would separate families.
The letter from the National Immigration Forum, signed by Executive Director Ali Noorani, follows Kelly’s testimony before Congress this morning in which he left the door open to family separation, saying he would consider it “only if the situation, at that point in time, requires it.”
“Any policy that seeks to break up families is troubling and problematic both for the families who will suffer great harm and the U.S. communities whose burden it will be to care for these displaced children,” Noorani writes. “In addition to being very costly and potentially traumatic, this policy is not likely to deter families fleeing violence and persecution from coming to the U.S. to seek refuge.
“Family unity is an integral American value. Rather than pull families apart, we should aim to preserve and protect them.”
The full letter is available here.