Today, a number of House and Senate Democrats joined mothers, caregivers, and advocates outside the U.S. Capitol to speak out against the Trump Administration’s ongoing policy of separating families and children at the border.
In conjunction with the event, dozens of women’s organizations submitted a letter to Congressional leaders asking for aggressive oversight and legislation that would protect the health and safety of women and children at the border and in detention. A horrifying report released by the ACLU today found horrific and widespread abuse of child immigrants in U.S. custody, including examples where children had been punched, kicked, stunned with a gun, subjected to verbal abuse, threatened with sexual abuse, invasively searched, and more. Testimony at a Senate hearing today revealed that as many as 658 children at the border may have been separated from their parents in just the month of May.
Among the participants were Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), MomsRising, the Women’s Refugee Commission, We Belong Together, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the National Women’s Law Center, the American Association of University Women, Futures Without Violence, Mormon Women for Ethical Government, and the National Council of Jewish Women.
After the press conference, advocates walked to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration’s hearing on children at the border, sat down, and then walked out in protest of the Trump Administration’s separation of families. Teddy bears were left behind on the empty seats, asking the Administration to stop tearing children away from their parents.
View just some of the photos, videos, and tweets from today’s activities, below:
