Statement: Court Order to Reunite Families Is a Win for Children, but More Work to Be Done

On Tuesday, Judge Dana M. Sabraw of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California granted a preliminary injunction that orders an end to the policy of family separations. It also mandated that families be reunited within 30 days, with children under 5 reunited with their families in 14 days, and allow all parents to speak with their children via phone within 10 days.

The following statement comes from Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Campaign for Children:

We applaud the decision in MS. L V. ICE to reunite families separated by the administration. While this is a win for children, we urge the government to seek a transparent, effective process to carry out this order and bring a swift end to inhumane policies that have neither moral nor economic standing.

There is more work to be done. Family detention is still not a solution to family separation—it inflicts long-term, intergenerational trauma that amounts to abuse.

Enforcing our nation’s borders should never involve inflicting trauma and terror on children and families fleeing violence and terror.

As we expect a response from the executive branch, First Focus Campaign for Children will continue to monitor this situation as it develops.