The following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, on where we are today with respect to the family separation crisis:
Yes, Americans rose up and forced the President to step back. No, we are not close to being done with this crisis.
Yes, the President announced that kids will no longer get ripped from the arms of their parents. No, he hasn’t ended the ‘zero tolerance’ policy that resulted in family separations.
Yes, it’s morally reprehensible that Trump has been taking children away from their parents. No, it’s not morally acceptable for Trump to now indefinitely jail kids with their parents.
Yes, we want to make sure that the Trump administration stops the odious practice of seizing children, including infants and toddlers. No, the federal government has no plan to reunite some 2,300 kids already taken to their parents.
Yes, the executive order is both a political defeat and a tactical retreat. No, it won’t stop Miller, Sessions and Nielsen from regrouping and plotting their next wave of attacks on Central Americans, who are fleeing violence and seeking safety in America.
Yes, this is the President’s policy, and he alone can fix it. No, his executive order does not represent a change of heart.
Yes, it’s a lie that only Congress can change this policy. No, we don’t believe that this do-nothing Congress will pass immigration legislation this election year.
Yes, the American people are fed up with the deliberate demonization of immigrants and the cynical divisiveness that is a centerpiece of Trump’s desperate attempt to hang onto power. No, Trump and Miller, along with their loyal GOP candidates, are not going to stop fear mongering, scapegoating and divide-and-conquer in the 2018 midterms.
Yes, we rocked Trump back on his heels. No, we are not out of the first quarter of this high-stakes contest.
