Carper Statement on Trump’s Executive Order that Continues “Zero Tolerance” Policy, Indefinitely Detains Migrant Families

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, released the following statement after President Trump signed a new executive order that nominally ends the separation of families, but continues the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy and indefinitely detains families together at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“It only took 44 days, the ire of the world and irreversible trauma inflicted on over 2,300 innocent children for President Trump to reverse his own despicable policy of separating migrant children from their parents. Unfortunately, his ‘solution’ of detaining families arriving at our borders indefinitely without due process is almost as harmful – and has already been found illegal by the courts and rejected overwhelmingly by Congress.

“What’s more, the Administration’s failure to appropriately process asylum claims, and the extreme limits they have placed on asylum, means that families arriving at our border cannot go through the legal channels. I once again call on President Trump to use his authority to unequivocally end his ‘zero tolerance’ policy and stop traumatizing families.

“I am also deeply troubled to hear reports that the Administration, in its haste to hold innocent children hostage in order to demand funds for a border wall, failed to plan appropriately to reunite these families following their separation. I call on the administration to ensure these families are reunited as quickly as possible.”