Senator Ted Cruz Proposes Bill to End Trump’s Zero-Tolerance Policies

On Monday, Republican Senator Ted Cruz joined many other politicians in proposing a bill that would protect immigrant children from being separated from their parents.

This is not the only bill proposed by the GOP; a similar bill is currently being drafted by several Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Cruz remarked that no families should ever be forcibly separated, even if their cases are still being processed.

Cruz, who is preparing for the upcoming November elections, released a statement insisting that the families should stay together, except when there are signs of “aggravated criminal conduct or threat of harm to the children.”

The bill counters the Trump Administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy by requesting for asylum cases to be either approved or denied by the government and approving temporary shelters while said cases are being processed.

The Senator addressed the outrage caused by recent immigration policies, paired with recent images of children being held in cages at the U.S.-Mexico border.

He stated:

“Americans are rightly horrified by the images we are seeing on the news, children in tears pulled away from their mothers and fathers. This must stop. Now. We can end this crisis by passing the legislation I am introducing this week.”

His request for a quick end to the crisis stands in stark contrast to the way that Trump Administration has addressed the immigration policies.

Trump Administration officials falsely blamed the procedures on the Democrats and stated that any change in immigration policy has to go through Congress, which frames the President as an individual who cannot affect significant change.

This is another step in Cruz’s favor regarding the upcoming elections. However, he does not have a guaranteed win, as opponent Beto O’Rourke also decided to tackle immigration during his campaign and held a protest demanding for the policies to end.

It would be fair to assume that Cruz, given the resources and capacities that he has as a Senator, has moved the immigration talks forward and has started proposing a tangible change in legislation.

Trump’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy has lead to bipartisan backlash, with very few members of Congress supporting the administration’s decisions.

Ever since the new immigration measures were announced earlier this year, the harsh rhetoric that the Trump Administration’s officials have used when discussing them has only highlighted the immoral nature of the procedures.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated during the early stages of the procedure:

If you cross the border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you. It’s that simple. If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you. And that child may be separated from you, as required by law … illegally entering this country will not be rewarded, but will instead be met with the full prosecutorial powers of the Department of Justice”

Sessions was confronted by reporters regarding his citation of the Bible as a defense for the measures, saying that the administration is only following what the law instructs them to do. This statement was echoed by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, who stated during a press briefing that “it is very biblical to enforce the law.”

Recently, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen held a press briefing wherein she blamed immigrant parents for their children’s’ situations, saying that they endangered their children by entering the country illegally. She also remarked that the administration would not apologize for their measures and that they are merely enforcing the law. Throughout the event, she echoed many arguments made previously by Sessions and other Republican politicians.

President Donald Trump held a press briefing in the White House after noticing that interactions between his staff and the press had not helped their case or the public perception of their measures.

Trump began the talks by saying:

“The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility. A country without borders is not a country at all. We need borders. We need security. We need safety. We have to take care of our people.”

Trump’s statement was concerning, as from the start of his briefing he showed no intention of addressing the policy of separation directly instead promoted his tough immigration policies and planned border wall.

Featured Image via Flickr/jbouie