Rep. Taylor Statement on Family Separation at the Border

As the issue of immigration and separating children from parents at the border continues and expands, Republican Congressman Scott Taylor (VA-02) released a statement concerning the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement of President Trump’s immigration policy:

“The issue at the border is a call to action for Congress. We have a responsibility to come together and forge a bipartisan solution that is decent, humane, and respects our rule of law.

“I have every confidence that the thousands of men and women who are honorably serving at our border are doing everything they can to uphold the law while attempting to keep families together. Congress should act immediately and appropriate additional funds for family shelters, reevaluate the Flores Consent Decree, and give greater discretionary authority to the administrative judges that are deciding the fate of these immigrant families.

“I believe this will better enable us to navigate this complex issue while enforcing our laws and keeping families intact.”

A Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday showed that the practice is very unpopular with most Americans, as reported by the Washington Post:

Two-thirds of the country, 66 percent, oppose Trump’s policy, according to the poll. That includes 6 in 10 men and 7 in 10 women.

As is often the case, though, there’s a wide split by party. A majority of Republicans approve of the policy, while 6 in 10 independents and 9 in 10 Democrats oppose it.

CNN’s Monday poll was practically identical, 67-28 percent, with the overwhelming majority objecting to the practice of separating families.

FLOTUS’ office provided a statement the appeared to split from the official White House position: “Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform. She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”

On Sunday former First Lady Laura Bush rebuked the practice in a Washington Post op-ed as she appealed to America’s humanity: “Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents — and to stop separating parents and children in the first place.”

UPDATE x1: We’re hearing from the moms. All five living First Ladies have now condemned splitting up families at the border (see They usually avoid controversy. But every living first lady has condemned border separations).

Michelle Obama shared Mrs. Bush’s op-ed on Twitter and added, “Sometimes truth transcends party.”

Hillary Clinton called the zero tolerance policy a “moral and humanitarian crisis.” She later tweeted, “What’s happening to families at the border right now is a humanitarian crisis. Every parent who has ever held a child in their arms, every human being with a sense of compassion and decency, should be outraged.”

Rosalynn Carter released a statement in agreement with her fellow former First Ladies: “The practice and policy today of removing children from their parents’ care at our border with Mexico is disgraceful and a shame to our country.”

See also Compassionate Conservativism Collapses Under Trump and Stewart