U.S. Sen. Doug Jones announced today he will co-sponsor Senate Bill 3036, the Keep Families Together Act, introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The legislation is intended to halt the separation of immigrant families by preventing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from taking children from their parents at the border.

"The Administration's new policy of ripping apart families by separating innocent children from their parents is completely contrary to our core American values," Jones said. "As I've said, I have been looking at every possible option to stop this policy, to include Senator Feinstein's legislation. While I plan to sign onto that legislation this week, we have to recognize that it is only a first step and does not offer any long term solutions to the underlying problems.

"This cruel policy needs to end now but we need workable solutions that can address this specific problem long-term. While we all wish it were true, there is no easy fix for the underlying problem. That's why I am also joining my colleagues to call for Senate hearings on this issue as soon as possible so we can better understand what a lasting resolution could look like for these families and negate the detrimental impact to these children."