Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on President Trump’s Executive Order addressing family separation:

“President Trump signed an executive order that will put an end to the separation of families at the border. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, we must be clear that it is merely one small step that still leaves many questions unanswered. There are more than 2,300 children—some as young as 8 months old—who are frightfully alone and must be reunited with their parents as soon as possible, and there is no clear answer as to how this will be done and how quickly. The President’s indecision and erratic policymaking has impacted and, frankly, traumatized thousands of lives. The nation’s mayors will proceed with their mission to Tornillo, Texas to ensure that these families are reunited and that such shameful policies are never implemented in our nation again.”

 

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