RICHMOND, VA -- The Green Party of Virginia is appalled by the treatment of immigrant children at Health and Human Services (HHS) centers across the country. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in conjunction with Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Justice (DOJ), has forcibly taken nearly 2,000 children from their parents in the last several months. Despite President Trump’s statements, there is no law forcing the President or any executive agency to remove children from the custody of their parents.

Green Party of Virginia

www.vagreenparty.org

For Immediate Release

June 20, 2018

Contact:

Ryan Wesdock, GPVA Secretary, GPVApress@gmail.com

The practice of family separation has seen well-deserved condemnation from across the political spectrum and from non-partisan organizations. All Senate Democrats have signed onto a bill that would end the policy, and even some Republican representatives have spoken up against it. It has received condemnation from Laura Bush and Michelle Obama. The American Academy of Pediatrics has condemned this policy, stating, “The new policy is the latest example of harmful actions by the Department of Homeland Security against immigrant families, hindering their right to seek asylum in our country and denying parents the right to remain with their children.”

We call on Governor Northam to ensure that no Virginians, whether military or civilian, are involved in the enforcement of this inhumane and cruel policy. We demand that he declare Virginia a sanctuary state open to individuals of all races and from anywhere on the globe, without concern for the means by which they entered the country. We further demand the immediate reunification of immigrant families. In the long-term we call on Congress to provide an easy and direct pathway to citizenship for every immigrant. Further, consistent with our belief in human rights and limiting authoritarianism in government, we call for the abolition of ICE as well as a human rights investigation into current and past abuses of immigrant children.

Until this policy ends and elected officials begin to take steps toward a more humane and welcoming immigration system, Greens across Virginia will participate in marches and actions. We strongly endorse such protests, including the June 30 March planned for Washington D.C. and other cities.