Kirstjen Nielsen

The children are not being used as a pawn. We are trying to protect the children.

The consequence of any adult going to jail in this country is they are separated from their child.

the 'remain in mexico' policy should be eliminated

I would ask all parents to go to ports of entry, not to separate their children and send them on the journey alone.

There is nothing humane about a system that contemplates what we see today, that contemplates 60,000 children coming across the border unaccompanied...

No rational person would design an immigration system like we have today.

This is a true humanitarian crisis that the system is enabling. We have to change the laws.

We urge the committee to consider our recommendations and to hold the Trump administration accountable to do what Congress has mandated: Allow asylum seekers to apply for protection in the United States.

Yes, I do. The numbers are increasing so quickly that our system, which I have testified to before, was at the breaking point.

Although we may disagree on solutions, I hope there can be a consensus that the current system isn't working and that this is an emergency we must address together.

We do not have a policy of separating families at the border. Period.