WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 19, 2018) – Today, Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) released the following statement on legislation she is working on to fix the issue of family separation at the southern border.

“As I said yesterday, I do not believe the government should separate children from parents who are awaiting adjudication for breaking federal immigration law. As Americans, the land of freedom and opportunity, as a people who are warriors for human rights and human dignity, these policies are inconsistent with our nation’s values and everything we stand for. If the administration will not change this policy on their own, then Congress must act to change the underlying law to ensure separation does not happen during the prosecution process.

“I support the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act, which after I helped secure further changes today will fix the family separation problem at the border. Specifically, it will require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain the care and custody of people crossing the border illegally together with their children while any charge for illegal crossing is pending. It will also approve funding through DHS for family residential centers to ensure proper accommodation for these families. Something must be done to stop family separation, which is why I am leading in Congress on this legislation.”

NOTE: Yesterday, Rep. McMorris Rodgers released this statement on her opposition to family separation at the border and advocating for reforms to immigration laws and processes to fix a broken immigration system. In case you missed it, you can read her full statement here.

It is important to note that currently family separation is not happening among families who are coming to ports of entry and seeking asylum through the asylum process. Reporting to the contrary is false.

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