CHICAGO (June 20, 2018)--The White House has issued an executive order that purports to end the separation of children from their parents at the border. Following is a statement from Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR): 

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This executive order will do nothing to truly address the overwhelmingly condemned family separation crisis that the Administration itself created.  The order continues the “zero tolerance” policy of referring all adults apprehended at the border to criminal prosecution as opposed to only processing them for possible deportation, the policy that is separating the parents from their children.  The order also does nothing to end the expensive and unnecessary detention of children and families. Real alternatives to detention, such as the Marie Joseph House of Hospitality run by Chicago’s Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants, safely house families and individuals seeking asylum as they await decisions on their cases.  Nor does this executive order address the violence and desperation that is causing families to flee their home countries and make the perilous journey to the United States to seek asylum.

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As we mark World Refugee Day, ICIRR urges the Administration to honor our nation’s history as a haven for families fleeing harm.  We call on the Administration to end its family separation policy, end family detention, reject any further attempts to limit access to asylum or punish those who seek it, and push for real solutions that will enable all immigrants and refugees to find safety together with their families.