Fischer Helps Introduce Legislation to Keep Families Together

Press Release

Today, a group of senators introduced the Keep Families Together and Enforce the Law Act, which keeps families together while ensuring the integrity of our nation's immigration laws. U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) is an original cosponsor of the legislation, which requires that children and their parents remain together during their legal proceedings.

"The targeted legislative proposal we are offering today focuses on immediately fixing this problem and keeping families together. It would expedite immigration court proceedings in these cases and help keep children safe during the process. This can become law and solve the problem if our colleagues choose to set politics aside -- I hope they will," said Senator Fischer.

The Keep Families Together and Enforce the Law Act includes provisions to ensure the humane and fair treatment of migrant children and families by setting mandatory standards of care for family residential centers. Families will be ensured access to suitable living accommodations, food and water, medical assistance, and any other service necessary for their care.

In addition to keeping children and their parents together, the legislation also keeps children safe by requiring children to be removed from an individual who presents a clear and present danger to the health and safety of the child, including: situations in which DHS cannot verify an individual is the parent of the child; a parent with a violent history of committing aggravated felonies; a child who is a victim of sexual or domestic abuse; a child who is a victim of trafficking.

To prioritize the timely adjudication of family cases, the legislation authorizes 225 new immigration judges and requires the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to prioritize resolving the cases of children and families in family residential centers.

Unlike other proposals -- which incentivize illegal immigration by codifying "catch and release" policies into law -- this legislation actually solves the problem by keeping families together while also ensuring the integrity of our immigration laws.

The Keep Families Together and Enforce the Law Act was led by Thom Tillis (R-NC), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Dean Heller (R-NV).

Other original co-sponsors include Chuck Grassley (R-IA), James Lankford (R-OK), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Steve Daines (R-MT), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Thune (R-SD), Bob Corker (R-TN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Boozman (R-AR), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Source