U.S. Rep. Brian Mast's stance unclear on Trump's child-separation immigration policy

Ali Schmitz | Treasure Coast Newspapers

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The Treasure Coast's U.S. representative would not say Tuesday whether he thinks the Trump administration should continue or discontinue its immigration policy of separating children from parents caught entering the U.S. illegally.

Rep. Brian Mast, who has said his maternal grandparents legally immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, has not been as critical as his fellow Republicans across the nation.

More: Stuart man charged Tuesday with threatening Mast's children over policy

"It is our duty as an American government to deal compassionately with any child from any nation just as it is the responsibility of foreign families seeking asylum in the U.S. to choose only legal means to enter our nation so they can avoid family disruption," Mast said in an emailed statement to TCPalm. "I am confident this process will be improved.”

The statement came in response to several questions TCPalm asked, but never got answered, about Mast's policy position and immigration reform ideas. He did not expound on what improvements he thought were necessary or forthcoming.

Democrats attack

Democrats attacked Mast before he released his statement Tuesday.

A Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee release linked to leaked audio of children crying for their parents at a detention facility.

"Listen to these children, Rep. Mast ... and do something about it," DCCC stated.

Mast's Democratic opponents, Lauren Baer and Pam Keith, both criticized Mast for his silence on the policy.

His ignorance of the legal distinction between asylum seekers and other migrants is embarrassing for someone who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It’s time to solve our immigration crisis. And that starts with electing leaders who know and will follow the law. — Lauren Baer (@laurenbaer) June 19, 2018

.@BrianMastFL Your deafening silence speaks volumes. Your utter lack of human empathy is a deal-breaker. I cannot fathom how someone who ostensibly loves his own kids could be so hardened to the terrorized cries of the kids we put in cages. #FL18 deserves better. #FlipItBlue — Pam Keith (@PamKeithFL) June 19, 2018

Family heritage

Mast's family history has influenced his thinking, he said while campaigning for office.

"The way that they got to work, the way that they assimilated to the American way of life and became a part of our system is not what we’re seeing across the board,” Mast told Hispolitica, a conservative blog focusing on political issues affecting Latinos, in 2015.

Mast has said the U.S. should crack down on illegal immigration while making it easier for educated and highly skilled foreign workers to enter the country legally.

"We should be welcoming to those who genuinely want to be in the United States and follow our laws," Mast says on his official U.S. House website, "but we must protect American citizens above all else by preventing people from entering our country illegally and taking advantage of our country’s goodwill."

Trump vs. Congress

Republicans in Congress are hammering out legislation that would ban family separation, which several Florida GOP members of Congress have criticized.

Sen. Marco Rubio said Tuesday he supports allowing families to stay together while being held in detention centers.

Releasing those who unlawfully enter b/c they came with children creates a cruel incentive to bring children on dangerous journey. Detaining parents is cruel because it separates families. Lets change the law so we can hold families together while awaiting expedited hearings — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 19, 2018

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, called the policy "unconscionable" Monday.

It is totally unacceptable, for any reason, to purposely separate minor children from their parents. Any and every other option should be implemented in order to not separate minors from their parents, which I believe is unconscionable. — Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) June 18, 2018

Reps. Tom Rooney, R-Okeechobee, and Francis Rooney, R-Naples, told Fort Myers-based WINK News Monday they oppose the policy.