U.S. Senator Tina Smith is preparing to introduce legislation to protect children whose families are caught up in immigration enforcement actions.
According to an alarming New York Times report, more than 700 immigrant children have been separated from their parents at the border since October.
Sen. Smith’s bill—which is expected to take steps similar to the HELP Separated Children Act—will help children and families address the challenges they face when they are separated during interior immigration enforcement actions, as well as during deportation proceedings. She is planning to introduce the legislation in the coming weeks.
“No child should have to face the terror and confusion of being ripped away from their family,” said Sen. Smith. “But young kids—including infants and toddlers—are often put in that very situation when their parents are caught up in immigration enforcement, detention, and removal actions. I was shocked to learn that, according to a New York Times’ report, hundreds of immigrant children have been separated from their parents over the past year. Whether this happens at the border or during immigration raids, separating kids from their parents is cruel. I’m working on legislation right now to help protect children whose families are swept up in immigration enforcement, and I’ll be revealing the bill in the coming weeks.”
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