Reps Ramirez, Castro & Senators Blumenthal, Merkley, Hirono, Markey Introduce Bill to Reunite Separated Families & Prevent Future Separation

Washington, DC– Today, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Vice Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, along with Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Senators Richard Blumenthal (CT-D), Jeff Merkley (OR-D), Mazie Hirono (HI-D), and Edward Markey (MA-D) introduced the bicameral Family Reunification Task Force Act. The legislation authorizes the Family Reunification Task Force to continue its work to reunite the thousands of families torn apart by Trump’s Zero Tolerance policy that inhumanely separated children from their parents. 

Established by President Biden’s Executive Order in 2021, the task force is at risk of getting disbanded despite more than 1,300 children still needing to be reunited with family. 

“Trump’s cruel zero tolerance policy of ripping families apart intentionally inflicted irreparable trauma on immigrant parents, children, and communities. It's a practice we will never – and should never – forget or repeat,” said Congresswoman Ramirez. “While we can never fully right those wrongs, the Family Reunification Task Force Act is a critical means to address the harm inflicted on the families separated at our border. Our legislation aims to urgently reunite families, and to affirm that families should never be separated by our government at our borders.”

Senator Blumenthal stated, “The first Trump Administration’s family separation policy was a catastrophic failing, and still, six years later, hundreds of children remain apart from their parents. The Family Reunification Task Force has done important work to identify and reunite families traumatized by this cruel policy and that work is not yet done. This bill is a necessary step to continue to right the wrongs of family separation, no matter who is in office.”

“President Trump’s family separation policy was one of the worst episodes of moral failure in our country’s history. I was glad to see the Biden-Harris administration create the Family Reunification Task Force to help identify and reunify families impacted by this horrific abuse of human rights,” said Congressman Castro. “As the next Trump administration approaches, this bill will protect the Task Force and ensure that the United States remains committed to reuniting more than a thousand children who are still separated from their parents. Continuing the work of this Task Force is the bare minimum we owe to these families.”

The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Al Green (TX-09), André Carson (IN-07), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), James McGovern (MA-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Shri Thanedar (MI-13).

Endorsers include Kids in Need of Defense, National Immigration Law Center, Human Rights First, Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, American Immigration Lawyers Association, Human Rights Watch, Justice in Motion, Prevention Institute, Women's Refugee Commission, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, Amnesty International USA, American Civil Liberties Union, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Save the Children, Acacia Center for Justice, National Immigrant Justice Center, Immigrant Defenders Law Center ("ImmDef"), National Center for Youth Law, National Immigration Project, Latin America Working Group, Tahirih Justice Center, Refugees International, ASISTA Immigration Assistance, and American Immigration Council.

“My family and I thank the Members of Congress who support the Family Reunification Task Force so that children that are still separated from their families can be reunited at last,” said Kseniia M., an asylum seeker from Russia and member of the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project. “The months we were separated from our then three-year-old daughter were incredibly painful, and as a family, we will live with the repercussions of that separation for the rest of our lives. We urge the U.S. government to continue to prioritize reunification and justice for all families affected by family separation policies.”

“KIND has witnessed firsthand the lasting harm of family separation on our child clients. In partnership with the Family Reunification Task Force, our organization has been part of the ongoing work to identify parents and children who are still separated and to bring them back together. Through its leadership of this effort, the Task Force has proved essential to reunifying families and ensuring the enduring impacts of separation are addressed. But the work is not finished,” Jennifer Podkul, Chief of Global Policy and Advocacy for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), stated. “KIND is proud to support the Family Reunification Task Force Act and commends Representative Ramirez, Representative Castro, and Senator Blumenthal for this vital measure to ensure that the Task Force can continue its critical mission to make families whole and prevent future unwarranted separations.” 

“We commend the leaders and participants in this vital effort to ensure the work of the Family Reunification Task Force continues. The Task Force’s unwavering efforts have successfully reunited thousands of families, but more than 1,300 children are still separated from loved ones due to policies implemented during the first Trump administration. The Task Force is a collaborative project bringing federal government, non-governmental organizations, and attorneys together to reunite families, working to close this reprehensible chapter of our nation’s history,” said Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Cathleen Caron, Founder and Executive Director of Justice in Motion, noted, “As an organization deeply involved in the critical work of reuniting families separated at the border, we have witnessed firsthand the profound devastation the separations cause. The impact of reuniting children with their families is immeasurable. It is crucial that Congress take swift and decisive action to ensure every family impact is made whole and that mass family separation never happens again.”

"Over 1,300 children remain separated from their parents because of the harmful zero tolerance policy enacted under President Trump’s first term. No child should ever be forcibly separated from their family, period. President Trump’s zero tolerance policy separated thousands of children seeking safety with their parents as a cruel deterrence policy,” said Amy Fischer, Director of Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International USA. “At the beginning of his presidency, President Biden created a task force to find impacted families and children to reunite them, but because these separations were intentionally done without appropriate record keeping or coordination, over 1,000 children still remain separated today. Amnesty International USA proudly endorses Rep. Ramirez, Rep. Castro, and Senator Blumenthal’s Family Reunification Task Force Act to ensure the work of reunification continues regardless of the administration. The United States has an obligation to reunite and provide redress to impacted families, and this important legislation ensures that this work continues."

“The family separation policy was one of the darkest chapters of the previous Trump administration, with babies and toddlers taken from their parents’ arms, and thousands of families ripped apart. For too many families, still awaiting reunification, this disastrous nightmare continues. We need legislation like the Family Reunification Task Force Act so that these children are not forgotten and can finally return to their loved ones,” said Sarah Mehta, Senior Border Policy Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. 

“The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is grateful for champions in Congress showing they will fight for our communities and stand up to defend the rights of immigrants and asylum seekers,” said Jesse Franzblau, Senior Policy Analyst with NIJC. “As an organization that has represented separated children and their parents, we have witnessed first-hand the long-lasting traumatic impact of this inhumane policy. Measures such as the Family Reunification Task Force Act are imperative to reunite families and defend against a repeat of the worst human rights abuse of the first Trump administration.”

“Family unity is essential to a humane immigration system that honors the rights and dignity of all people. Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is proud to endorse the Family Reunification Task Force Act and thanks Representatives Ramirez and Castro and Senator Blumenthal for standing with immigrant families. As first-hand witnesses to the trauma caused by the zero-tolerance policy, we implore Congress to prevent the tragedy of family separation by passing this important legislation,” Marion ("Mickey") Donovan-Kaloust, Director of Legal Services at ImmDef said. “No child should ever have to pay the price of our broken immigration system. Separating families undermines the moral values that define the United States. By passing the Family Reunification Task Force Act, Congress will reaffirm our fundamental values of compassion and justice for all.”

Kelly Albinak Kribs, Attorney and Co-Director of the Technical Assistance Program at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights stated, “Separated children and families deserve support and a path toward justice. Young Center child advocates have over the years worked with and accompanied hundreds of children torn unnecessarily from their parents, bearing witness to their fear, trauma, and uncertainty about the future. The Family Reunification Task Force is one tool in the kit to help families with reunification. We are grateful to Rep. Ramirez, Rep. Castro, and Senator Blumenthal for highlighting families navigating reunification, and we urge Congress to stand up for family unity and reject any future family separation policies.”

“The Acacia Center for Justice welcomes Representative Ramirez, Representative Castro, and Senator Blumenthal’s introduction of the Family Reunification Task Force Act. Policies to deter migration by intentionally separating immigrant parents and children shocked the conscience of our nation. While we acknowledge that no remedy can fully undo the profound harm inflicted on separated immigrant families, this bill will ensure the task force’s vital role in addressing the wrongs and preventing further harms. The Acacia Center for Justice will continue to defend the interests of impacted families and support the task force's work through our Legal Access Services for Reunified Families program, and we thank Representative Ramirez, Representative Castro, and Senator Blumenthal for taking this important step,” said Megan Mack, Director of Federal Policy at Acacia Center for Justice.

“As Flores counsel, we have seen up-close the deep agony and pain inflicted upon immigrant children and families that are forcibly separated by the government. The consequences of being separated from one’s family, which no child deserves, can last a lifetime,” said Melissa Adamson, Attorney at the National Center for Youth Law. “Identifying and reuniting these children with their loved ones should always be a top priority. It is of the utmost importance to continue the work of the Family Reunification Task Force and rectify the grave harm inflicted on immigrant children and their families.” 

“Save the Children believes that all children deserve to grow up with their families. We strongly support this legislation to ensure that children who have been forcefully separated from their families are reunited. The government should do everything within its power to make sure these children are rightly returned to their parents. We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to make sure this never happens again,” said Roy Chrobocinski, Managing Director at Save the Children.

“This important Act upholds American values of keeping families together by requiring the Department of Homeland Security to establish a Task Force on the Reunification of Families,” said Vicki Gass, Executive Director of the Latin America Working Group. “Between 2018 and 2021, more than 4,600 minors were separated from their parents after crossing the border without documents. To date, approximately 1,380 children continue to be unaccounted for. This is unconscionable. Children who are forcibly separated from their families or legal guardians face the grave risk of abuse, sex trafficking, or worse. To prevent this from happening again, the task force will advise the Secretary of Homeland Security and provide recommendations on the legal steps required to reunite separated children with their parents or legal guardians. Everyone elected official should support this bill.”

For the full text of the bill, CLICK HERE. 

BACKGROUND

Back in 2017, Trump’s administration began implementing practices that separated children from their parents at the southwest border. In 2018, the Department of Justice made these practices official policy by announcing the zero-tolerance policy that required the federal prosecution of all adult noncitizens apprehended crossing the border irregularly, with no exception for asylum seekers or those with children under the age of 18. 

Criminally prosecuting adults for irregular border crossings requires detaining them in federal criminal facilities where children are not permitted. Children must be detained and released according to separate statutory and legal guidelines. If parents cannot be released with their children, the children are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services for care and custody, resulting in separation from their parents. Up to 3,000 children may have been separated from their parents because of Trump’s zero-tolerance policy, and potentially hundreds more before the policy’s official announcement.

In February 2021, the Biden administration issued an Executive Order to establish the Family Reunification Task Force to reunite children separated from their families at the southwest border. As of March 20, 2024, the task force had coordinated with non-governmental organizations and attorneys representing separated families to facilitate the reunification of 795 children with their parents. There were 71 children in the process of being reunified and 1,360 children without confirmed reunifications yet.