
My office recently learned the shocking revelation from @HHSGov that reunification could mean placing a separated child with ANY long-term sponsor — regardless of whether it’s their parents, other family in the US, family back in their home country or in long-term foster care.
If true, this interpretation blatantly ignores the terms of the court order. The federal government has also recently admitted that reunification is being used as a bargaining chip to induce parents to agree to voluntary deportation.
We cannot trust that these families will actually be reunified. Today I led a group of six governors in demanding @HHSGov & @DHSgov take responsibility for the dire effects of the “zero-tolerance policy” and trauma inflicted on nearly 3,000 children.
Here the link to the letter, signed by the governors of Washington, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Oregon.