29 OCTOBER 2020

Immigration Hub: Biden Task Force to Reunite Migrant Children With Parents Underscores Urgency of the Trump-Created Border Crisis, Why Voters Must Elect Biden-Harris in November

WASHINGTON, DC — Below is a statement from Sergio Gonzales, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub, in response to today’s announcement by the Biden presidential campaign that if elected, President Biden will create a federal task force to reunite children separated from their parents at the border. The task force announcement comes following recent, shocking revelations that 545 children separated from their parents at the border — as a direct result of the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” family separation policy — haven’t been able to reunite with their families as lawyers are unable to locate them. 

“Family separation is one of the most horrific human rights abuses carried out in our nation’s history. The commitment today by Vice President Biden to create a federal task force to reunite children separated from their families at the border is a crucial step to address the devastation and cruelty of the Trump Administration’s actions. This comes amid the U.S House Judiciary Committee’s release of the most comprehensive narrative illustrating the brutal actions taken by the government under President Trump. 

“Both Vice President Biden and Senator Harris have a record and commitment to undoing these wrongs. Senator Harris introduced the REUNITE Act in the aftermath of family separation to bring families back together. These steps are in line with the American people: 65% of the public oppose family separation. Policies based in humanity offer a sharp contrast to what voters have seen under President Trump who has spewed xenophobic rhetoric at every turn. Solutions that address the cruelty that has defined the Trump Administration will win over voters, and will help Vice President Biden become the next President.”

The Biden announcement also comes as the House Judiciary Committee today released the findings of its 21-month investigation into the development and execution of the Trump Administration's family separation policy, which resulted in more than 2,500 migrant children becoming unnecessarily separated from their parents. 

The report, entitled "The Trump Administration's Family Separation Policy: Trauma, Destruction, and Chaos," provides the first complete narrative of the inhumane family separation policy, in the Administration’s own words. The investigation revealed the Trump Administration’s family separation policy lasted far longer than is commonly known and was marked by reckless incompetence and intentional cruelty. Worse still, Administration officials knew that the government lacked the capacity to track separated family members and moved forward with separations anyway. As a result, efforts to reunify separated children continue to this day. 

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.