HARRISBURG, Pa.– Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is among 21 Attorneys General calling on United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to end a “zero tolerance” policy that has resulted in children being separated from their parents at the U.S.- Mexico border.
Shapiro joined 21 top state prosecutors by sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Tuesday, calling the policy inhumane and draconian.
The letter raises the issue about the violation of children’s rights and constitutional principles of due process and equal protection.
“This practice is contrary to American values and must be stopped. We demand that you immediately reverse these harmful policies, as it is in the best interests of the children and families affected,” the attorneys general state in their letter.
The attorneys general say that because it is their duty to enforce laws on human and drug trafficking and gang violence, arguing that policies like this make it difficult for them to work with victims as they do their jobs. They also suggest that by separating kids from their parents the Trump Administration could be violating international, federal and state laws that say a child is better off with their parents unless “a rigorous judicial inquiry” finds that the parent is unfit or has committed a crime.
Read the full letter below:
