As ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy Continues to Separate Families at the Border, Courtney Joins “Keep Families Together Act” as Original Cosponsor

(Washington, DC) —Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) made the following statement after cosponsoring new legislation in the House of Representatives called the Keep Families Together Act to end family separations on the southern border:

"In the wake of growing bipartisan calls for President Trump to end his Justice Department's recently implemented policy of "zero tolerance" that results in separating families at the border, I am cosponsoring new legislation in the House of Representatives today called the Keep Families Together Act. This bill will prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from separating parents and children taken into custody within 100 miles of the border except for narrow cases involving abuse or neglect. It would also allow people seeking asylum in the United States to be given a fair hearing before subjecting them to criminal prosecution and tearing families apart.

"Given the growing chorus of public figures speaking out against this deeply misguided policy, including former First Lady Laura Bush and Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan, I hope the President will immediately order the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to end the separations and begin the process of reuniting families. As Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said yesterday on television, President Trump could end this horrific policy with one phone call if he chooses to do so."

The Keep Families Together Act will:

• Prohibit the separation of parents and children taken into custody within 100 miles of the border except for limited, extraordinary circumstances following review by a child welfare agency or due to risk of human trafficking.
• Prohibits using family separation to serve the policy goal of deterring migration or complying with civil immigration law.
• Includes public policy preference favoring family unity, keeping sibling groups together, and "that detention is not in the best interests of families and children"
• For currently separated families, requires DHS to provide the parent/legal guardian with a weekly status report on the child's condition, activities, and any changes to the child's immigration status, and requires that DHS allow weekly telephone contact between parents and children, outside of the narrow child welfare cases listed above that allow for separation. The bill also requires DHS to develop procedures allowing parents to locate and reunite with their children, and make these policies available in a language the parent understands.

###