Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly has waded into the debate over the practice of separating families who illegally cross the U.S. border, joining other senators in support of a bill that would abolish the migrant family separation that has become a flashpoint in the ongoing immigration debate.
On Sunday night, Donnelly tweeted that he would co-sponsor the Keep Families Together Act, which would prohibit the removal of migrant children from their parent or legal guardian except in certain circumstances.
The decision comes as footage, photos and accounts of detention of migrant children continue to be released, including those documenting the detention of 1,400 children in a former Walmart building turned immigrant shelter in Brownsville, Texas, which has been renamed Casa Padre. The splitting up of families was prompted by Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ “zero tolerance” policy announcement in April, which directed Homeland Security officials to refer all illegal entry cases for criminal prosecution. Because of U.S. protocol, children are separated from parents who are now charged with a crime, instead of the civil prosecution they previously would have faced.
Session cited the Bible as justification for the policy, saying the Apostle Paul commanded Christians to “obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.”
In contrast, Donnelly cited his own Catholic faith as a reason for his opposition.
“As I’ve said, those trying to enter our country illegally should be held accountable and we should fix our broken immigration system,” he tweeted, “but I don’t support the (administration’s) new policy that separates children from their families.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein, who introduced the bill earlier this month, said the Keep Families Together Act now has support from 48 senators.
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