— by State Senator Kevin Ranker —
To the Washington State Congressional delegation:
Washington State is home to thousands of immigrants and refugees and, like our nation, was built by courageous families looking for a better life, a better future. Today, this courage and determination remains a force for good.
Unfortunately, families seeking out a better life today only find more hardship. We have seen the cruel and unforgivable action of ripping apart families at the border.
President Trump has apparently retreated to temporarily end his administration’s cruel and unforgivable policy by executive order. But now, Congress must act to reunite families immediately and prevent this unconscionable policy in the future. The thousands of children separated from their parents are relying on you to reunite them with their families.
Constituents from across the state have contacted my office and my colleagues, asking what we can do. As a state, we have already taken steps to welcome and embrace immigrants as they make a home. The legislature has funded legal support for immigrants and financial aid for children regardless of when their parents came to this country. We have sponsored and will continue to support legislation to ensure our local law enforcement and state agencies cannot be used as arms of federal immigration authorities.
However, we must remain vigilant to ensure the horrific policy of separating families does not return and families are reunited. It is up to Congress to create policies that limit detention, support families seeking a better life, and reflect our core values of human dignity, decency and kindness.
We must stand with immigrants and refugees looking for a better life here in Washington and across our country. Our state works best when everyone has the chance to improve their circumstances and our state. We must fight to remove barriers to that success, and welcome and embrace all our neighbors.
