Congressman Suozzi Works on Solutions for Separated Children and Comprehensive Immigration Issues
Press Release
This past weekend, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D- Long Island, Queens) was part of a bipartisan group of eight Members of Congress that visited the Tornillo Detention Facility and the U.S. Border in El Paso, Texas. Mr. Suozzi was joined by Senator Tom Udall (NM) and Congressmembers Kathleen Rice (NY-4), Stephanie Murphy (FL-7), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Beto O'Rourke (TX-16), and Mike Coffman (CO-6). Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-8) organized the visit; a fact-finding mission to see firsthand the impact of the Trump Administration's misguided policy to separate children from their families as they attempted to cross the U.S. Border.
Yesterday, Mr. Suozzi, along with County Executive of Nassau County Laura Curran, also visited MercyFirst -- a not-for-profit human service agency in Syosset, NY. MercyFirst, located in Mr. Suozzi's district, is currently caring for 10 migrant children separated from their families at the border. Mr. Suozzi and County Executive Curran gathered information on how these children are being cared for by professionals in many fields. Mr. Suozzi and County Executive Curran also received an update on MercyFirst's work to reunite the children with their families.
In the wake of this work, Mr. Suozzi issued the following statement:
"The policy of separating children from their families at the border was immoral and un-American. Instead of bad policies, implemented poorly, we need to strengthen our border security, while crafting comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the urgent issue of the DREAMers and provides a pathway for over 11 million people to live legal and productive lives in America. I look forward to working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues in Congress to get this done."
"When it comes to the separated children that I saw in Texas and in Syosset, I will do everything I can to help expedite the reunification of these children with their moms and dads. I also want to see that the departments responsible for doing this, the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Department of Homeland Security, are working together and have a plan. What happened to these children and their families was wrong. Now, we need to come together to fix this."
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