Commentary: WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 20, 2018) - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) released the following statement on President Trump's announcement of an executive order on immigration:
"President Trump’s decision to take children as young as infants and toddlers away from their parents as a form of punishment or deterrence is morally indefensible. The trauma these policies are inflicting on families, many of whom are already fleeing violence and seeking asylum, is horrific.
"Children have been separated from their parents by not only a border but in some cases by thousands of miles with no plan for reunification. Each and every child needs to be accounted for and returned to their parents and it is incumbent on President Trump to fix the crisis that he created.
"At the root of all of this, we need to reaffirm the humanity of immigrants and refugees—mothers, fathers, and children who are overwhelmingly hardworking people seeking to come to America because of the promise our nation represents. Until this dark chapter in our nation's history has been closed, I will not rest."