Sen. Coons’ statement on Wini Omer

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the Government of Sudan’s attempts to target Wini Omer.

“I am deeply concerned about the Government of Sudan’s repeated attempts to target Wini Omer, a Sudanese journalist and outspoken advocate for women’s rights.  I call upon the government of Sudan to drop charges against her and repeal legislation that threatens civil liberties and the rights of women throughout the country. 

“Wini Omer is one of thousands of women charged under Sudan’s Public Order laws, a wide-ranging policy that places restrictions on personal behavior and public expression, and is disproportionately used to target and oppress women. Almost any mixed social gathering is prohibited under this practice, which erodes civil liberties and fundamental human rights of the people of Sudan.  

“Wini Omer’s case is just one example of a pattern of attempts by the Government of Sudan to stifle dissent, to prevent criticism of the government, and to intimidate its citizens.  Sudanese authorities have used a range of tactics, including morality codes and draconian national security laws to silence defenders of human rights. These types of policies are discriminatory, repressive tools that have no place in a free, equal, and democratic society. Harassment of journalists, like Wini, also highlights the intimidation, censorship, newspaper seizures, and other ways in which the government tries to gag the media. 

“I urge the Government of Sudan to adhere to the values enshrined in its Constitution. With elections approaching in 2020, Sudan should demonstrate that it is committed to democracy and respecting the rights of its citizens.”

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Senate passes Coons, Rubio bill to enhance U.S. Security Assistance to Israel

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to authorize at least $3.3 billion in annual security assistance to Israel. 

“The passage of this bipartisan legislation represents the continuation of America’s unshakable, seven-decade commitment to Israel’s security,” said Senator Coons. “The security assistance included in this bill will help Israel protect itself in the midst of regional instability; deter – and if necessary defend against – Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas; and deepen bilateral ties for the next decade and beyond.”

“At a time when the Jewish state of Israel faces unpresented threats from Iran’s terror-sponsoring regime, Assad’s barbaric dictatorship in Syria, and terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, this bipartisan legislation advances American efforts to ensure that Israel, a vibrant democracy and our closest ally in the Middle East, has all that it needs to defend itself,” Senator Rubio said. “I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their support of the Rubio-Coons bill, and hope that the House of Representatives soon passes the legislation and sends it to the White House for the President’s signature.” 

The U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act:

• Authorizes the State Department to extend no less than $3.3 billion annually in foreign military financing (FMF) to Israel over the next 10 years through 2028.  This is consistent with the new U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding signed by the United States and Israel in 2016;
• Extends loan guarantees to Israel, making the U.S. Federal Reserve a guarantor of Israeli loans and allowing Israel to secure international loans at substantially lower interest rates;
• Allows for the quick sale of Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) to Israel in the event of a conflict with Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran;
• Reiterates it is U.S. policy to ensure Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) to allow Israel to counter and defeat any conventional or emerging military threat from neighboring states, a coalition of regional states, or a terrorist group;
• Encourages enhanced U.S.-Israel cooperation in space, on international development issues, and on production of counter-drone technology. 

The legislation’s counterpart in the U.S. House of Representatives passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on May 9.

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Sens. Coons, Ernst introduce bill to help veterans translate military training into college credit

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced bipartisan legislation to provide more veterans an opportunity to translate their military training into college credit, which is important to helping increase veteran graduation rates. The Military Learning for Credit Act allows all veterans to use veterans educational assistance funds to cover portfolio assessments and fees for standardized examinations that can be translated into college credit at thousands of institutions of higher education.  

“Our veterans receive intense and thorough training as servicemembers, often during the years when other Americans are attending college. The least we can do is ensure that once they enroll in college, veterans have every opportunity to translate their military training into college credit. Permitting all veterans to take credit exams and receive portfolio assessments for free will save our veterans time and money as they work toward a degree, while also reducing federal funding expenditures through the GI bill. It truly is a win for all,” said Senator Coons.

“Our servicemembers and their families deserve the opportunity to use their military training educational assistance for college credit. Allowing all veterans to use veterans education assistance funds to cover portfolio assessments and fees for standardized examinations will reduce the expenses covered by federal funding, while simultaneously increasing veteran graduation rates,” said Senator Ernst.

Each year, veterans receive nearly $10 billion in GI bill benefits to use at the college or university of their choice. Under current law, veterans receiving benefits under the Post 9/11 GI bill are permitted to use a portion of their benefits to cover the costs associated with prior learning assessments.  However, for veterans receiving benefits under other programs, such as the Montgomery GI bill, the cost of prior learning assessments is not covered by their benefits.  The Military Learning for Credit Act will correct this inequity.

Veterans Education Success and the American Council on Education support this legislation. 

A one-pager on the bill is available here. 

The bill text is available here. 

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Senators Urge the Administration to Provide More Information on Family Reunification Process

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) led a letter from 14 bipartisan senators to the Attorney General and Secretaries of the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting more information about migrant family reunification at the border.

On June 20, President Trump issued an Executive Order to end the separation of families who cross the border illegally. The Senators are requesting more information on the reunification process for legislative oversight and for the consideration of needed changes to immigration law.

On July 19, a group of bipartisan Senators, including Lankford and Coons, sent a letter to President Trump stating that the default position of the United States should be to keep families together at the border and urging the administration to work with the faith community on its efforts to reunify families.

“Throughout this process, affected families, the public, and many congressional offices have sought clarifying information and data from your Departments to explain why policy decisions were made, how those policies have been implemented, and the effects of the implementation,” the letter says. “We understand that certain information may be protected. Throughout this process, we have also requested simple data to give us more complete information for our own legislative decision-making process. Unfortunately, the flow of information to the public and to congressional offices with important oversight responsibilities has been both incomplete and below acceptable standards. Congress and the American people need regularly updated information to remain informed and to ensure Members of Congress are able to fully conduct their important congressional responsibilities.  

“Therefore, we respectfully ask that you provide to interested congressional offices and the relevant oversight Committees in the House and Senate the following information not less than twice a month until 1) all families separated through the zero-tolerance policy have been reunited or 2) a determination has been made that they cannot be reunited, with an explanation for the reasons that is the case.”

In addition to Lankford and Coons, the letter is signed by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dean Heller (R-NV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Margaret Hassan (D-NH), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Angus King (I-ME), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and Tom Carper (D-DE).

A PDF of the letter is available here, and the full text is below:

Dear Attorney General Sessions, Secretary Nielsen and Secretary Azar:

On April 6th, the Attorney General announced the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy for those crossing the southern border without authorization. As a result of the policy, all individuals who illegally entered the United States and were detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for prosecution. Before and after the Attorney General’s announcement, DHS policy required children to be separated from their parents only in three situations: if DHS could not confirm that the individual claiming to be the parent actually was the parent, if the child is in immediate risk of harm, or if the parent faces criminal prosecution. Due to the zero-tolerance policy, all individuals who cross the border without authorization face prosecution, and thus qualify under DHS policy to be separated from their children.

We believe that the default position of the United States of America should be to keep families together. Additionally, we must prioritize the reunification of families that have already been separated.   

When a criminal referral occurs, individual adults are transferred from DHS to DOJ custody for the duration of the prosecution and sentencing. If the individual to be prosecuted entered the country with a minor child, that child would be transferred to HHS custody when the parent goes into DOJ custody. HHS retains custody of the child until he or she can be reunited with a parent or other individual according to HHS regulations.

Between May 5th and June 9th, DHS reports that 2,235 family units with a total of 4,548 family members were detained:  2,206 parents or legal guardians were referred to DOJ for prosecution, which resulted in 2,342 children being separated from their parents and placed in HHS custody.

On June 20, 2018, the President signed Executive Order (EO) #13841, Affording Congress an Opportunity to Address Family Separation. This EO directed DHS, with certain exceptions, to maintain custody of individuals who have been referred to DOJ for custody if they have entered the country with their children. This would enable families to stay together while parents face prosecution for illegally entering the country. The EO also directed the Attorney General to seek a modification of the Flores settlement, which provides the framework for the treatment of detained immigrant children. On July 9th, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied the Administration’s request to modify the Flores settlement to expand the ability of the Administration to detain children for prolonged periods of time in secure settings.

Throughout this process, affected families, the public, and many congressional offices have sought clarifying information and data from your Departments to explain why policy decisions were made, how those policies have been implemented, and the effects of the implementation. We understand that certain information may be protected. Throughout this process, we have also requested simple data to give us more complete information for our own legislative decision-making process. Unfortunately, the flow of information to the public and to congressional offices with important oversight responsibilities has been both incomplete and below acceptable standards. Congress and the American people need regularly updated information to remain informed and to ensure Members of Congress are able to fully conduct their important congressional responsibilities.  

Therefore, we respectfully ask that you provide to interested congressional offices and the relevant oversight Committees in the House and Senate the following information not less than twice a month until 1) all families separated through the zero-tolerance policy have been reunited or 2) a determination has been made that they cannot be reunited, with an explanation for the reasons that is the case:

1.            The number of families, including the number of children, detained for crossing the border without authorization.

2.            The number of parents or legal guardians referred to DOJ for prosecution and the types of crimes for which they have been referred.

3.            The number of children separated from their parents after entering the country without authorization, broken down by gender for ages 0 to 4 and 5 to 17.

4.            The number of family units (with the number of children specifically listed) in DHS custody with a breakdown by the number of weeks the families have been in custody (ex: how many families have been in custody for one week, for two weeks, etc.).

5.            The number of children in HHS’s responsibility after being separated by DHS from their parent or legal guardian who have been referred to DOJ for prosecution with a breakdown by the number of weeks the children have been in custody (ex: how many children have been in custody for one week, for two weeks, etc.).

6.            The number of children separated from their parents or legal guardians after the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy who have been reunited with a numerical breakdown by week for the length of time between separation and reunification.

7.            The number of children who have been reunited with their family members following implementation of Executive Order #13841 of June 20, 2018.

8.            The number of parents or legal guardians (or those who entered the country with a child) who have been deported since the institution of the zero-tolerance policy, including the number of those that declined to be reunited with their children prior to deportation.

9.            The number of children who cannot be reunited with the adult with whom they entered the country without authorization because the adult is not a parent or legal guardian or the child would be in immediate risk if they were reunited with their parent.

10.        Changes to the written guidance for prosecuting individuals who cross the border without authorization and family separations for individuals crossing the border. The first report should include all variations of this guidance that have been in place since January 20, 2017, including any pilot programs, and the current guidance.

We stand ready to work with you to ensure that these goals are met. However, it is essential that Congress be afforded access to the basic information requested above.

Thank you for your attention to this critically important matter. 

Sincerely,

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Sen. Coons successfully secures $416 million for anti-drug programs, $250 million to promote community development

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, secured funding for key federal agencies in the fiscal year 2019 Senate’s Financial Services and General Government bill, which passed the Senate today with bipartisan support.

“Serving on the critical Appropriations Committee gives me an important opportunity to fight for programs and funding that are important to Delaware and our country, and as the top Democrat on this particular Appropriations Subcommittee, that’s doubly true,” said Senator Coons. “I’m proud that we were able to work together in the Senate to reject President Trump’s proposed cuts to anti-drug programs and help ensure that we’re doing all we can to combat the opioid crisis.  I’m also proud that we’ve committed significant funds to support programs like the First State Community Loan Foundation that drive important development efforts in low-income communities. Nevertheless, while I’m glad we were able to reach agreement on this bill, there are areas, such as the restriction of DC’s own local funds on a women’s right to choose, that I am disappointed were included. I look forward to working with my colleagues moving forward to resolve this issue.”

The bill includes a total of approximately $416 million for anti-drug programs, which is $400,000 more than the fiscal year 2018 level and $386 million more than the president’s budget request.  The Senate bill rejects the President’s proposed move of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and Drug-Free Communities (DFC) programs from ONDCP to other agencies.  The HIDTA program is funded at $280 million, the same level as fiscal year 2018.  The DFC program is funded at $99 million, the same level as fiscal year 2018.   

The bill provides $250 million for the CDFI Fund to promote economic and community development in low-income communities, equal to the fiscal year 2018 enacted level and $236 million more than the president’s budget request. Delaware CDFI’s like the First State Community Loan Fund, Delaware Community Investment Corporation (DCIC), and National Council on Agriculture Life and Labor Research Fund, are some of the most important sources of capital for minority, women, and veteran owned early stage companies in Delaware. The CDFI program enables these Delaware organizations to help more men and women start and expand their companies in Delaware.  

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Sens. Coons, Booker statement on Peter Ajak

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) released the following statement on the reported detention of South Sudanese peace activist Peter Ajak. 

“We are deeply concerned about the reported detention of South Sudanese peace activist Peter Biar Ajak by South Sudan’s National Security Service after his criticism of the direction of the South Sudanese peace process.  We are also troubled by reports that President Salva Kiir personally ordered a crackdown on government critics.”

“The views of the South Sudanese people are a critical component of any successful and legitimate peace process in South Sudan.  This includes the participation of civil society, women, religious leaders, and other marginalized groups. A poorly constructed agreement based on the same power sharing formulas that have failed in the past, and that is missing these voices, is a recipe for continued conflict in South Sudan, not peace.  The arrest of Peter Ajak at a time when the United States and its Troika partners, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and the African Union are encouraging a truly inclusive process undermines the credibility of the government’s claim that it wants peace.  

“We also continue to be gravely concerned by the forced disappearances of both Dong Samuel Luak, a well-respected South Sudanese human rights lawyer and activist, and Aggrey Idri, a vocal government critic and member of the opposition, from Nairobi in January of 2017, who were reportedly detained by South Sudan’s National Security Service without charge. South Sudanese authorities have failed to acknowledge their detention, bring charges, or release them.

“We call on the Government of South Sudan to release Peter Ajak and other political prisoners immediately, and respect the rule of law and fundamental freedoms that are necessary pillars of peace in South Sudan. We expect the government to implement its commitment during the talks in Khartoum to release detainees immediately. We urge South Sudan’s political leaders, including President Kiir and SPLM-IO leader Machar, to fully commit to truly inclusive negotiations, and to demonstrate the leadership necessary to bring genuine peace and accountable governance to South Sudan.” 

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Sen. Coons successfully secures $4M for Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, $3.8B for Rural Development, $1.94B for Amtrak

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured funding for important Delaware programs in the appropriations bills for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; and, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration. All three bills passed out of the Senate today with strong, bipartisan support. 

“Serving on the Appropriations Committee gives me an important opportunity to fight for programs and funding that are important to Delaware,” said Senator Coons. “Delaware plays a critical role in feeding America’s families, and finding ways to support our farmers is one of my top priorities. I’m pleased that Republicans and Democrats worked together to ensure that funding for programs that support farmers continues to have bipartisan support. We also secured funding for conservation efforts in the Delaware River Basin and Chesapeake Bay, which is vital to the health of our region. Further, I’m proud that we secured strong funding for Amtrak and increased funding for affordable housing programs that our communities rely on. These appropriations bills reflect how Washington should work, and I look forward to continue engaging my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to deliver for Delawareans and all Americans.” 

The legislation approved by Congress today included funding that will directly benefit Delaware:

Support for Transportation Infrastructure and Housing Programs

Senator Coons fought for $1.94 billion in funding for Amtrak, helping to keep passenger rail operating safely and efficiently throughout the Northeast Corridor, as well as throughout the country. Senator Coons also fought for $1 billion for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program, formerly known as TIGER grants. Delaware has received BUILD grants that have been used to design and build the Newark rail station, improve the Port of Wilmington, and build the new Claymont station. Senator Coons also secured the inclusion of an amendment to extend funding for the Newark rail station and Port of Wilmington projects. The most recent BUILD grant awarded to Delaware will be used to improve the intersection of US 9, Airport Road, and Sand Hill Road in Georgetown. 

Senator Coons secured $1.362 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). The HOME program serves as the only federal block grant program for state and local governments designed exclusively to produce affordable housing for low-income families. The Delaware State Housing Authority leveraged HOME funding to repair and save affordable rental properties in Millsboro and Dover.  The City of Wilmington and New Castle County governments came together with HOME funding to build a new affordable senior housing at Sacred Heart Village II, and New Castle County put HOME funding to work to preserve affordable housing for seniors in Newark. 

Senator Coons fought for $3.365 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. CDBG funding supports homeownership, housing rehabilitation, public improvements, and economic development projects while encouraging additional local investment. In Delaware, CDBG funding helped residents in Pinetown and Georgetown address long-standing housing rehabilitation and infrastructure development issues, made home ownership possible for New Castle County residents through the Housing Choice Voucher Program, and helped struggling homeowners tackle essential repairs that allowed them to stay in their homes.

Support for Agriculture and Rural Development

Senator Coons secured $62.84 million for Avian Health Programs, which support partnerships with state departments of agriculture, universities, and the poultry industry to monitor poultry flocks and prevent and control the spread of diseases, including avian influenza.  

Senator Coons fought for $3.8 billion for Rural Development, including an additional $825 million in funding for infrastructure investments in Rural America. Senator Coons also supported $1.25 billion for rural water and waste program loans, $425 for the rural broadband loan and grant pilot program, and $24 billion in loan authority for the Single Family Housing guaranteed loan program.

Senator Coons also fought for $879.1 million for conservation operations to help farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners conserve and protect their land. 

Support for the Environment and Natural Resources

Senator Coons fought to secure strong federal funding for important programs at the Department of the Interior that help conserve and protect our nation’s rivers, wetlands, and other valuable natural resources. This includes $4 million for the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program and $43 million for the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (NAWCA).

Senator Coons also fought for strong funding for several Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs that provide states with the tools they need to protect and restore clean water, land, and air on the local level; including the Chesapeake Bay Program; the National Estuary Program; and grants to protect water from nonpoint source water pollution, ensure clean and safe beaches, and support clean water and drinking water infrastructure. As in past years, Delawareans will directly benefit from the many local programs these grants help support.

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Sens. Carper, Coons support Delaware’s National Guard in annual defense bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D – Del.) voted on Wednesday for the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes continued investments in the National Guard and defense manufacturing. The bill now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.

“The annual defense spending authorization bill is a crucial piece of legislation that funds our military and helps to enhance our national security,.” said Senator Carper. “By working together with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, we were able to pass a thoughtful piece of legislation that contains a number of Delaware priorities – including the largest military pay raise since 2010. As a 23-year veteran of the Navy, I know just how important this bill is for all the men and women who serve our country, and I’m pleased that we could come together in a bipartisan way to ensure its swift passage.”

“This bill is critical to showing our continued support to our thousands of Delaware service members and their families,” said Sen. Coons. “Modernization and upgrades will ensure the Delaware Guard’s C-130H fleet continues flying well into the future. The extension of benefits for National Guardsmen and Reservists and a pay raise for all members of the Armed Forces is well-deserved for their service to our country. The bill also addresses certain Chinese companies whose actions have raised national security concerns. While national security is of particular importance, I believe greater steps must be taken to ensure that such companies play by the rules in all respects, particularly given their track record of ignoring U.S. intellectual property rights.”

Continued C-130H Modernization and Upgrades
The bill continues modernization of and improvements to the National Guard’s C-130H aircraft. The bill authorizes $151 million for C-130H modernization and engine and propeller upgrades. Funding for modernization will keep Delaware’s 166th Airlift Wing on pace to continue flying after stricter airspace regulations take effect in 2020. Funding for engine and propeller upgrades will increase the performance, fuel efficiency, and reliability of the Delaware Guard’s C-130H fleet.

Troop Pay Raise
The bill authorizes a 2.6 percent across-the-board pay raise for members of the Armed Forces to help improve their quality of life, as we continue to ask them and their families to do more in response to rising security threats around the world.

National Guard Benefits
Currently, members of the National Guard and Reserves mobilized under so-called “12304b authority” perform the same duties as their active duty counterparts, but they are not provided the same benefits. The bill includes two provisions from the National Guard and Reserve Benefits Parity Act, which Senator Coons introduced with Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, to fix that discrepancy. First, it would provide Guardsmen and Reservists with a monthly allowance if they are deployed for long-term or multiple deployments within a single year. Second, the bill would protect federal civilian employees, who are members of the Guard and Reserve, from a reduction in pay when activated under “12304(b) authority.” These provisions will ensure that Guardsmen and Reservists are fairly compensated for their invaluable service to our country.

Support for Small Manufacturers
Many Department of Defense suppliers are small manufacturers who do not have the resources or expertise to comply with federal cybersecurity requirements aimed at protecting sensitive information. The bill includes the Enhance Cybersecurity for Small Manufacturers Act, which Senator Coons introduced with Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, to give the Department of Defense and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) additional tools to help small manufacturers in the defense supply chain assess and eliminate cybersecurity risks.  The bill also authorizes a Cybersecurity for Manufacturing Hub that uses the Manufacturing USA Network to increase the cybersecurity of small manufacturers through engagement, testing, and training.

Assistance for startup businesses
The bill includes Senator Coons’ Support Startup Businesses Act, which he introduced with Senator Cory Gardner of Colorado. The Support Startup Businesses Act allows Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology (STTR) grant awardees to allocate up to $50,000 of their awards for activities that are critical to building businesses, including services such as market validation, intellectual property protection, market research, and business model development. Currently, the SBIR program offers very limited financial support to awardees for commercialization activities.

[VIDEO] Sen. Coons reads U.S. Code to Rudy Giuliani after Trump lawyer claims “collusion is not a crime”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, filmed the following video after President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and the President spent the past several days claiming that “collusion is not a crime.” Full audio and video of the statement below are available here.

“Hi, I’m U.S. Senator Chris Coons from Delaware, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I’ve recently noticed that Rudy Giuliani, President Trump’s personal lawyer, has been publicly saying that collusion isn’t illegal, that he can’t find it in the code books, and I just wanted to offer my advice. 

“What we’re talking about here is an ongoing investigation by Robert Mueller, the special counsel, into whether or not Russian nationals, military intelligence staff of the Russian GRU, provided some assistance to the Trump campaign in 2016, and whether or not that form of collusion or cooperation might be illegal.

“So, I took the liberty of looking into the United States Code. In Title 52, Section 30121 it says, ‘It shall be unlawful for a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value in connection with a federal, state, or local election,’ and it goes on to say, ‘or for a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described above from a foreign national.’

“It seems pretty clear to me that anything like a treasure trove of thousands of hacked emails, that is a thing of value, being solicited, accepted by an American campaign from Russian nationals would be a clear violation of U.S. Code, and actions to work together with Russian nationals to subvert our code would be illegal collusion.

“My advice to Mr. Giuliani would be, instead of arguing that it isn’t illegal, to advise his client to cooperate fully with the Mueller investigation in the hope and expectation that if he is innocent, he’ll be fully cleared, and if not, that our laws will be enforced.”

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Sen. Coons, colleagues demand investigation into reports that DHS officials illegally destroyed records of children separated from parents at the border

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) wrote the Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Acting Inspector General John Kelly demanding in investigation into reports that the Department of Homeland Security “has been improperly – and perhaps unlawfully – destroying records of families that it forcibly separated at the border.” According to at least two DHS officials, records linking children to their parents have disappeared or been intentionally destroyed.

“The Trump administration created a crisis out of thin air when it initiated the “zero tolerance” policy and began tearing infants and toddlers away from their parents. The possible destruction of records that potentially tie these vulnerable children to their parents – and thus could effectuate reunification – only exacerbates this manufactured chaos and unnecessarily prolongs the suffering of these vulnerable immigrants,” the Senators wrote. “We hope that a prompt investigation into the reported destruction of hundreds of vital records will shed light on the scope of this potentially unlawful conduct and hold the relevant agency officials accountable for their actions.”

The full text of the letter is available here and copied below.

Dear Secretary Nielsen and Acting Inspector General Kelly,

We write today deeply alarmed by reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been improperly – and perhaps unlawfully – destroying records of families that it forcibly separated at the border. The abhorrent and inhumane policy of separating families has hopefully finally ended after Americans across the country stood together and made their voices heard. The Trump administration was under a court-ordered deadline to reunify all separated families by July 26. But they did not meet that deadline. Over 700 children remain in government custody.[1] At least 463 parents appear to have already been deported, with the vast majority never having been given a meaningful choice about leaving their children behind.[2] The administration has provided no details for how they plan to reunify children with parents who have already been deported, nor is it clear how the 900 parents facing imminent removal are going to be reunified with their children. If DHS officials are destroying essential records that link children to their parents, these separations may be unnecessarily prolonged and risk becoming permanent.

According to two officials at DHS, records linking children to their parents are mysteriously disappearing or being intentionally destroyed.[3] These officials indicated that Customs and Border Protection agents have been deleting hundreds of records that listed parents and their children together as a family. Meanwhile, the administration failed to meet the court-ordered deadline to reunify all children under the age of 5 with their parents by July 10 and the July 26th deadline to reunify all other separated children.[4] Given these blunders, we cannot take seriously DHS’s claims that it knows the location of all children who have been separated,[5] particularly when DHS may be destroying the very records necessary to locate these children and reunify them with their families.  

Additionally, in a declaration that a senior official at the Department of Health and Human Services filed in the Ms. L case, HHS claims that it does not have sufficient documentation to quickly and effectively reunify parents with their children.[6] This declaration further suggests that the destruction of records linking parents and children could very well be delaying the reunification of families and interfering with the government’s legal obligations. The psychological trauma that family separation causes will not end as long as the government is unnecessarily delaying reunification. Therefore, the destruction and disappearance of these vital records may be adding to the pain and anguish our government has already inflicted on these innocent families fleeing violence and persecution.

As you know, the Federal Records Act requires the Department of Justice to take action against agency heads who either participate in or fail to recover records that their agency has improperly destroyed or removed.[7] DHS’s own regulations also require it to preserve records that have been requested pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.[8] The destroyed and missing records may be responsive to several pending FOIA requests submitted to DHS.[9]

We therefore request that the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General promptly conduct an independent investigation into whether the destruction of records by CBP agents violate these or other legal obligations. We also request that Secretary Nielsen immediately issue a preservation order to prevent the further destruction of records and hold CBP agents accountable for any unlawful actions taken to destroy them.

The Trump administration created a crisis out of thin air when it initiated the “zero tolerance” policy and began tearing infants and toddlers away from their parents. The possible destruction of records that potentially tie these vulnerable children to their parents – and thus could effectuate reunification – only exacerbates this manufactured chaos and unnecessarily prolongs the suffering of these vulnerable immigrants. We hope that a prompt investigation into the reported destruction of hundreds of vital records will shed light on the scope of this potentially unlawful conduct and hold the relevant agency officials accountable for their actions.

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