Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement on the President’s threat to arrest and deport millions of immigrants, and to specifically target families:

“The President’s new threat of a mass deportation dragnet is an act of utter malice and bigotry, designed solely to inject fear in our communities. This plan revives the horror of the President’s family separation policy, inflicting its inhumanity on countless hard-working families across America.

“Since Day One, the Administration’s failed policies – from family separation, to child incarceration, to gutting asylum protections – have created senseless tragedy and heartbreak both at the border and throughout our country, and have turned America’s back on a decades-long, bipartisan understanding of the value of immigrants to our nation.

“The President must walk away from these cruel, ineffective and discriminatory policies, and work with Democrats to support smart, effective immigration reform that honors our values and keeps families together and safe. The President must also stop sabotaging good-faith, constructive and bipartisan efforts in Congress to address the root causes of the situation by blocking funding for humanitarian efforts in Central America.”