STATEMENT: Rep. Khanna Response to Trump’s Executive Order on His Controversial Family Separation Policy

Washington, DC – Rep. Ro Khanna, the son of immigrants who represents one of the most diverse districts in the nation, issued the following statement in response to President Trump's recently announced executive order.

"The President's executive order is a very small nod towards decency by ending the barbaric practice of separating children from their parents. But it simply just replaces one problem with another by locking up families in detainment together. It does not take us back to the status quo before Attorney General Sessions issued guidance in April, and again in May 2018. Rather, it will continue the Trump administration's decision to prosecute every single immigrant who crosses the border with criminal offenses, rather than civil offenses, as immigration law has historically been done in this country. And it hinges on a federal judge modifying the Flores Settlement Agreement reached in 1997, to allow them to detain children beyond 20 days.

"We should not just lock children in prison with their parents. That is not a solution. This is not who we are. Our nation's leadership must treat everyone with civility and humanity, and we must fix our broken immigration system so that all people may live with freedom and dignity as our national creed demands. The Trump Administration should simply withdraw their April 6, and May 7 guidance. If they won't, Congress needs to immediately pass the Keep Families Together, there is not a single second left to waste."

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About the Office

Congressman Khanna represents the 17th District of California, which covers communities in Silicon Valley. Visit his website at khanna.house.gov. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter @RepRoKhanna.

Press Office: 202-225-2631