Pingree Statement on Today's Immigration Votes

Statement

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement on two immigration bills the House is scheduled to vote on today.

"Much like President Trump's hateful and racist rhetoric about immigrants, both of these bill are offensive to American values. Neither of them are "moderate'--both dehumanize and degrade those seeking safety and security in the United States, worsening the suffering of real people to score political points.

"To be clear, these bills will cut off paths to legal immigration, slash family reunification, and make it harder to seek asylum. The less extreme of the bills holds the future of young Dreamers hostage to funding for President Trump's $25 billion boondoggle of a border wall.

"These bills do not alleviate the mess President Trump has created with his zero-tolerance policy that has resulted in children being separated from their children at our southern border. They do nothing to reunite the families that have already been split up.

"I hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle show some heart and backbone today by voting these bills down. We can and should move forward with truly bipartisan policies for immigration, true protections for Dreamers, and the Keep Families Together Act."

Pingree Visiting Texas Detention Center This Weekend
Pingree is joining more than 20 other Democratic Members of Congress on Saturday, June 23, at the U.S.-Mexico border near McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, during a trip hosted by Congressmen Filemon Vela (D-Texas) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), The group will speak to children and parents who have been ripped apart by President Trump's and Attorney General Jeff Sessions' cruel new, zero-tolerance family separation policy.

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