WASHINGTON – On Monday, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and all of the Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats sent a letter to Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), calling on him to promptly hold a hearing on the Trump administration’s inhumane family separation policy. Since President Trump announced his “zero-tolerance” policy, nearly 2,500 children – some of them just infants – have been torn away from their families at the border. Leahy and Judiciary Committee Democrats wrote:

“The Senate Judiciary Committee has a storied history of discussing and debating the most pressing issues facing our nation. Today, there are few issues more pressing, more agonizing, and more discussed at kitchen tables across America than the Trump administration’s policy of family separation along the Southwest Border. …Each day, Americans wake up to the realization that a parent’s worst nightmare – not knowing where your child is, what food and shelter they are receiving, and when you will see them again – is a reality for thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers.”

The letter continues, “We cannot remain silent in the face of these horrifying stories. Therefore, we respectfully request an immediate oversight hearing to better understand the scope, nature, and impact of the Trump administration’s new ‘zero-tolerance’ policy on children and families. Our Committee, unlike any other in Congress, is uniquely situated to examine the Trump Administration’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy. Further, our Committee has a moral obligation to examine whether this policy is consistent with our most basic American values. We strongly believe it is not.  We owe it to the American people to hold a hearing so that we can all, together, learn more about this policy being implemented in our name.” 

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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