WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted on and failed to pass an immigration bill sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte, a bill which would not have ended the Trump Administration’s policy of family separation or family detention. The GOP immigration bill made drastic cuts to legal immigration and would have made it easier for the government to detain and deport asylum seekers. On Wednesday, President Trump announced an executive order replacing the Administration’s policy of family separation with a policy of family detention. The executive order continues the Administration’s so-called “zero tolerance” policy requiring the prosecution of all adults, including parents, apprehended at points of entry.

Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell releases the following statement:

“The United States is a country of immigrants with a proud legacy of providing shelter for families fleeing violence and persecution,” said Rep. Terri Sewell “This Administration’s detention policies, from the separation of children from their parents to the cruel detention of families seeking safety, are a dark stain on that legacy and contradict our core identity as Americans. While President Trump’s executive order ends his own manufactured policy of family separation, it paves the way for the long-term incarceration of families in prison-like conditions.”

“Instead of ending President Trump’s cruel treatment of families seeking asylum, the immigration bill considered in the House this week doubled down on the President’s inhumane, anti-immigrant agenda. I voted against the failed GOP immigration bill because I believe that immigration reform should end the Trump Administration’s disturbing treatment of immigrant families and protect the human rights of those seeking safety in our country. After years of failing to pass comprehensive immigration reform, I urge Republicans to work across the aisle to pass bipartisan legislation that protects asylum seekers, gives our DREAMers a path forward, strengthens our borders, and streamlines the path to citizenship for those seeking a better life.”

Rep. Sewell is a cosponsor of the Keep Families Together Act, a bill which would have prohibited the Trump Administration from separation immigrant children from their families, except in extraordinary circumstances.

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Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) is serving her fourth term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional district. She sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and was recently appointed to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Sewell is a Chief Deputy Whip and serves on the prestigious Steering and Policy Committee of the Democratic Caucus. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and serves as Vice Chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, and Vice Chair of Outreach for the New Democrat Coalition.