MacArthur Statement on Conference Meeting with President Trump

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Tom MacArthur issued the following statement after President Trump’s visit to the House Republican Conference at the United States Capitol.

“I have stated emphatically that the separation of children from their parents must stop immediately. I believe that President Trump can and should put a stop to it immediately. If he will not, Congress must act. I do not believe children should be used as bargaining chips or as a deterrent. Let us remember, the ACLU sued President Obama’s Administration for detaining families as an intimidation tactic. It was wrong then and it is wrong now.

I will support legislation that ends the practice of separating families, whether it be a stand-alone bill or as a piece of a larger bill. We must not return to the practice of ‘catch and release’, though. I will support efforts to approve funding for DHS family residential centers, which will keep families together and allow for a thorough review of each case. DHS has reported a 315 percent increase in the cases of adults with minors falsely claiming to be family units from October 2017 through February 2018. Children are being taken advantage of by those with ill-intentions and we must not let that happen.

I will also support legislation that increases security at our borders and gives Dreamers a legal path forward without letting them jump the line. We can deal with the big issues facing our nation on immigration, if we cut through the nonsense and actually work together. While some are resorting to inflammatory rhetoric and others are rejecting anything short of an open-border policy, I refuse to get caught up in the drama. We have a job to do and I intend to do my part.”