Congressman Joe Neguse Applauds President Biden's Executive Action to Reunify Separated Families

Press Release

Today, Congressman Joe Neguse issued a statement welcoming President Joe Biden's executive action to establish a Family Reunification Task Force to assist in reunifying separated migrant families. Today's expected actions build on executive action the President took his first day in office, including steps to preserve and fortify protections for Dreamers, end the Muslim ban, and halt border wall construction.

"I welcome President Biden's actions today to reunite separated families and ensure a fair and humane immigration process for those seeking asylum in the United States. Generations of immigrants, including my parents, have come to this country seeking refuge and to pursue the American Dream. Their stories and their journey are an irrefutable source of our strength as a nation. Here in America, immigrants make tremendous contributions every day as front line workers, innovators and neighbors."

"The cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants we have witnessed over the last few years has been heartbreaking. Under the Trump Administration, we witnessed unprecedented low rates of refugee resettlement, reckless and inhumane treatment of migrants at our southern border and cruel family separation tactics. These are practices we can never repeat. We are a nation of immigrants, and our actions and policies should not only acknowledge but celebrate this truth. President Biden's actions today set a new precedent and new pathway for immigration reform in the United States, one this is sorely overdue."

Congressman Joe Neguse is a co-chair of the Bipartisan Refugee Caucus. He helped introduce the GRACE Act, which would increase refugee admission thresholds that reached an all-time low during the Trump Administration. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, he visited El Paso, Texas following reports of mistreatment at border detention facilities to witness conditions and participate in an oversight hearing on the Trump Administration's immigration policies.

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