Issued June 20, 2018
WASHINGTON—SEIU International Executive Vice President and iAmerica Action President Rocio Sáenz issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s Executive Order on family separation:
“The safety and well-being of children and the soul of America is still at stake. The Executive Order does nothing to solve the manufactured humanitarian crisis at the border created by President Trump and his administration. It will continue to keep children and families locked up — indefinitely — causing irreparable psychological harm.
“Children and their families belong together in safe communities and not in former Walmarts, military bases, or other government locations not suited for families and that make legal representation for families applying for asylum more difficult.
"The Executive Order does not address the more than 2,000 children who were separated from their families some of whom are now missing. Some parents have been deported while their children remain in shelters in the U.S. and no instructions were provided on how parents can locate their children, or what mechanisms will be established to assist in the reunification of children and parents.
“Keeping parents and children in jails for extended periods of time is inhumane and is not the solution that Americans want. We are a country of compassion, opportunity and hope. We must keep families together in an environment where children can thrive. We demand an end to this cruel practice of criminalizing families and locking them up in jails indefinitely.”