Washington (CNN) Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon announced Friday that he will bring a mother and daughter who were separated at the US-Mexico border last year as guests for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address next week.

The decision is intended to "highlight the human suffering caused by President Trump's child separation policy," a news release from the senator's office stated.

The mother-daughter pair -- Albertina Contreras Teletor and Yakelin Garcia Contreras, who will be 12 years old on Tuesday, the day of the address -- were separated from one another at the southern border for a period of roughly two months and were reunited in July 2018, according to a statement from the senator's office.

Inviting guests to the State of the Union offers congressional lawmakers a chance to send a pointed message during the speech that takes place annually in the House chamber before a joint session of Congress.

Trump's speech this year takes place as a contentious debate plays out between congressional Democrats and the White House over immigration and border security.

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