The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday called on the Trump administration to end a policy that has led to the separation of families apprehended as they cross the border illegally.
Chamber President Tom Donohue joined a chorus of Republicans and Democrats who have come out against this practice, saying the policy is “not who we are” as a country.
“It is not just that America is a nation of immigrants — it is that since our founding we have embraced certain core values,” Donohue wrote Tuesday. “One of those values is that children should not be punished for the crimes of their parents. Yet, today, government policy is running in direct contradiction to that value.”
Under the Trump administration’s zero tolerance immigration policy, implemented in the spring, all adults caught illegally crossing the border are prosecuted. Children who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully with their parents are separated from their parents and placed in the care of the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration has said a court ruling requires this separation, because children can only be detained for a short period of time.
So far, nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents, according to the federal government. Images and video show those minors being housed in former box stores and metal enclosures.
“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,” Donohue wrote. “Let that sink in for a second: our government is forcibly separating children — including toddlers — from their parents and sending them to detention facilities as a means of sending a message and influencing Congress.”
“Surely a nation as big, generous, and compassionate as the United States can find a way to prevent separating children from their parents at the border,” he continued. “If we can’t agree on that, then we can’t agree on anything.”
Donohue acknowledged that stronger border security and enforcement of federal immigration laws are needed and said people who come to the U.S. illegally should be sent home. But he said addressing those needs should not require separating families.
In addition to condemning the separation of children from their parents, the head of the Chamber criticized the decision to end protections for Dreamers and relief for beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status program.
Donohue said Congress should act to address the latter two issues.
“At the U.S. Chamber, we wake up every day with a goal of defending and promoting the free enterprise system,” he wrote. “Today, we ask our elected officials to defend the core values that make the free enterprise system and the whole American experiment possible. The time for action is now.”
