An immigration policy that has separated thousands of children from their parents after they are detained at the U.S.-Mexico border has become a lightning for the Trump administration and his supporters.
It has also become a major talking point in the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.
In an interview last week, Republican nominee Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Luzerne) slammed Sen. Bob Casey as being too liberal for Pennsylvania, and told KDKA’s Jon Delano that harsh laws are a deterrent to would-be lawbreakers.
He said the president is simply enforcing existing laws, and that anyone committing a criminal act risks being separated from their family.
“So the laws of the country state that when you commit a criminal offense, children, you will be separated during the custody. I don’t think we should have separate laws for people who come in the country illegally and other laws for American citizens,” he said.
Barletta’s name is synonymous with harsh immigration policies. During his tenure as Hazleton mayor, the city made headlines when its council passed laws making English its official language.
The law also authorized city officials to deny business permits to employers who hired anyone in the country illegally, and the landlords who tried to rent to them were slapped with hefty fines.
The act was later ruled unconstitutional.
Casey, meanwhile has criticized the current policy as inhumane.
“If you’re coming across the border, seeking asylum, and you have a child with you, it’s simple, that child should stay with you,” he told the Morning Call.
.@realDonaldTrump and @SecNielsen are not telling you the truth. There is no law requiring the Administration to rip migrant children away from their parents; it is a morally abhorrent policy choice they make every day.
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) June 18, 2018
Casey noted that many of those detained were likely to be denied asylum and returned to their home countries. But families should always been kept together, he said.
Casey said while he supports immigration reform, legislators do not need to act to stop this policy.
One phone call from the president to Attorney General Jeff Sessions could revoke the order given to separate parents from their children, rather than referring all cases to criminal prosecution.
“They should not be separated from their children,” he added.
On his own website, Casey calls for stricter border security, including 24-hour surveillance and doubling the number of border protection agents.
He said there should also be a “pathway to citizenship” for those who are “law-abiding” and learn to speak English.
“That’s not amnesty. And that’s not deporting all eleven million undocumented immigrants,” according to the statement.
Loading ...
21 Responses
Kids get ripped away from their parents everyday in this Country when their Parents go to Jail for Crimes they commit . There is No Prison or Jail i the USA that lets Kids stay with their Imprisoned Parents .
I’ve seen other people use this analogy this is a false equivalency used to justify vile policy.
Family’s that are coming here seeking asylum, even if they pursue it incorrectly, are trying to provide their families a life free from violence.
Even when children are taken by child services when their parents commit a crime in the US. The system attempts to place them with relatives, or in foster care with the ultimate goal of reuniting the child with the parent.
They are not placed in cages while their parents are processed and in some cases deported with out them.
Stop trying to justify what happened. It’s absurd.
The citizens of Pennsylvania need to ask Bob Casey how he is going to secure the border and regulate immigration. What is he doing to advance his ideas into legislation? Pennsylvanians need to ask this of ALL their incumbent representatives. The border security and immigration policy has been in the public question for at least the last three administrations and nothing has been done about it. Seems like Congress is preoccupied with preventing the other party from gaining power more than governing. I didn’t like this under Obama and I don’t like it now. We deserve better. When the immigration/border issue is resolved the rest of this goes away.
Makes sense, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Luzerne). Let’s hold these young children in a detention center and use them as political bargaining chips. What is the plan for reuniting them with their families? How are the parents going to be located after they are deported? What do we do with these children (some still young enough to nurse) in the meantime? Do we hold them captive until they are old enough to be dumped at the boarder? What a disgraceful, disgusting man you are.
The U.S. has a long history of separating children from their parents. It’s called divorce.
Not the same thing, friend. Good try though.
Not too different. Frequently same result, a child screaming for his mommy or daddy.
While still being in the custody of one or the other… never in a cage.
I threw a fit when my mom dropped me off at school, not gonna equate that to what’s happening on the border next are you??
You win the award for “Most Absured Comment of the Day”. Congratulations Mr. Davison! Unlike divorce, there is no plan or system in place to locate the parents of these children once they have been deported! This is a mess.
So when we’re talking about stricter gun laws, criminals will break the law so passing them is useless, but when it’s about immigration, harsh laws are a deterrent to would be law-breakers. Got it!
Not saying I disagree with the sentiment about harsh laws being a deterrent, but you have to take into account the consequences. When the harsh laws are punishing innocent children, it’s time to reevaluate.
Build the Wall. End Chain Migration. End all public assistance for illegals. Deport the illegals.
Bob Casey, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi can’t devise an agenda that capable Americans will support, so they have to import the low intelligence dependent voters to substitute for the capable natives.
Illegal immigration is an invasion by low IQ, low skill people, who will be welfare and social burden for generations. Stop the Invasion.
Build the Wall.
Deport the illegals.
Get back on your meds Charlie…
Look at you, born on third base thinking you hit a triple.
You sound smart.
Politics PA always seems to exclude Libertarian Dale Kerns. Why Paul? Why aren’t you talking about the rail story, Barletta is trailing, Kerns is gaining and AFP has put their money behind this?
Likewise the Greens have Neal Gale running. I would imagine that both the Green and Lib have strong opposition to TheRump’s unilateral, big government overstep policy. We all know third parties have almost no chance, due to the duopoly and its FEC rigging the system against them. Still, in a race with four announced candidates it is negligent to continually give free ink to only half of them.
These people were invited:
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! “
Trumpers, is this what you wanted? Are you satisfied to see children ripped from their mother’s arms? Is it enough for you yet?
Go Casey!!! He’s not perfect, he’s not his courageous dad and what he went through back in 92 (yet – but maybe he could be) …. but he is the man to defeat the alt right and this disastrous administrations horrific policies. Barletta is a callous shameful clown and he’s gonna lose big. We need to stop this madness before it really results in regrettable shame on our country.
I would very much would like to still vote Wagner for gov (one Republican hopefully) – but only if he stays away from Barletta and Trump.
This entire matter aside from the sad treatment of people is a political disaster for Lou Barletta and Scott Wagner. It is taking the air out of the room so to speak and dominating news coverage and political discussion to the point that nothing else can get through. The polls are devastating for Wagner especially since he is actually trailing Lou Barletta in the polls who is more controversial politically. Wagner trailing badly by 19 points and Lou Barletta by 17 points is a disaster for the Republicans and being that far behind is not easy to accomplish in politics.
People seeking asylum and refuge are not criminals.