"Separating children from families must end now," 19 June 2018

Thousands of children are being forcibly removed from their parents by our government... [T]his is not who we are and it must end now. Policymakers in Washington are accustomed to hearing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opine about the economics of particular policies. But public policy is often also a reflection of a nation’s values. That is certainly the case when it comes to immigration policy and in particular with respect to three immigration matters that require the urgent attention of our elected officials: ending the separation of minor children from their parents, permanent protection for Dreamers, and permanent relief for long-term beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program... The recent policy change requiring the immediate detention and misdemeanor prosecution of anyone crossing the border illegally – so-called zero tolerance – has already resulted in the forcible separation of nearly 2,000 children from their parents. Facilities to house these children are so overcrowded that the administration has built a “tent city” to house additional minors. Parents are being told if they plead guilty and drop any claim of asylum they can be reunited more quickly with their children. The administration adopted this policy as a way of deterring illegal entry into the U.S.  Some administration officials reportedly view the policy of separating children from their parents as leverage to gain other immigration policy changes from Congress... The Chamber could provide you with plenty of statistics and detailed analysis as to why we need to keep Dreamers and TPS beneficiaries living and working here to help our economy grow. There is, however, something more fundamental at stake: whether our nation’s policies will reflect our values or run in direct contradiction to them.