MNAPABA joins NAPABA in its position regarding the separation of families entering the US at non-point of entry border crossings. MNAPABA urges the President and his Administration to reunite children separated from their parents quickly with no further delay.

NAPABA Condemns the Separation of Children and Parents at the U.S. Border

The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) strongly condemns the Trump Administration’s cruel “zero tolerance” enforcement policy of referring all non-port-of-entry-border crossers for criminal prosecution.

According to news reports, during the past several weeks over 2,000 undocumented children have been separately detained from their families after entering the United States. The adults are sent to criminal detention for prosecution while the children are placed in separate detention centers, treated as unaccompanied minors, and undergo removal proceedings.

This practice of separating families at the border is cruel and inhumane. Family separation should not be used as an immigration enforcement strategy and deterrent to migration. Detaining vulnerable children and separating them from their families is damaging to the well-being of the children, can create lasting trauma for families, and violates due process rights. NAPABA strongly urges the Administration to abandon this inhumane practice that is contrary to our values as Americans.

For more information, the media may contact Brett Schuster, NAPABA communications manager, at 202-775-9555 or bschuster@napaba.org.