Tim Kaine: “I rise on World Refugee Day to thank the American public for standing up against the heartless decision by the Trump…”

“I rise on World Refugee Day to thank the American public for standing up against the heartless decision by the Trump administration to separate children from their families at the southern border of the United States. Because the administration's policy triggered our moral gag reflex, you spoke up loudly--everyday citizens, business executives, faith leaders, Governors pulled back Guard troops from missions on the border, and airlines announced they would not facilitate separation of families by flying children hundreds of miles away from their parents. Because of you, the American public, this administration has altered its cruel policy, at least for the time being. A new Executive order suggests that families will not be separated, but many questions remain. Will they be detained indefinitely? Where will they be detained? What process will be used to determine their fate? Will people seeking to use our legal asylum process be treated like criminals? The most urgent question I have is this. What is the fate of the 2,300 children you have stripped away from their families? How will you assure that these children are properly returned to parents who are worried to death about them? Congress has to exercise the most persistent oversight to ensure that these children are restored to their families.…”