December 5, 2019 - Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Wednesday released the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security inspector general report on family separations:

“The report by the Homeland Security inspector general clearly lays out that the Trump administration knew its family separation policy would prevent children from being reunited with their families, yet the president still allowed it to move forward. This is unconscionable.

“The inspector general found that the Department of Homeland Security failed to have appropriate procedures and systems in place to keep track of separated parents and children. Without knowing who was separated, the inspector general estimates the department may be unable to reunite more than 1,200 children with their families.

“The inspector general also found that administration officials were aware of this problem yet still rushed to separate families. Children were taken away from their parents knowing reunification would be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible.

“Family separation must stop. Congress must act immediately to pass the Keep Families Together Act to ensure this dangerous, heartless policy ends and is never repeated.”

Keep Families Together Act:

• Senator Feinstein’s bill to keep families together by preventing the Department of Homeland Security from taking children from their parents at the border.
  
  
• Developed in consultation with child welfare experts to ensure the federal government is acting in the best interest of children.
  
  
• It currently has 41 cosponsors in the Senate.
  Source: Senator Dianne Feinstein