TUCSON, AZ— Over the past week, numerous media reports have detailed abuse at shelters housing immigrant children separated from their families due to the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy. This comes after the Trump administration failed to meet a court-ordered deadline last week to reunite children and parents separated under the Trump administration’s policy. In response, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva issued the following statement calling for DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation:

“The allegations of suicide attempts and sexual and physical abuse at facilities housing unaccompanied minors and those children separated from their parents at the border due to Trump’s zero-tolerance policy are disgusting, and demonstrate the administration’s complete incompetence in protecting the children they needlessly harmed. Make no mistake, Donald Trump and his cronies who implemented this policy are directly responsible for the unimaginable trauma inflicted on innocent children and their parents.

“These cases of abuse and the administration’s inability to reunite families demonstrate a blatant disregard for the well-being of children, yet Trump officials refuse to express any remorse or criticism of their policies. Secretary Nielsen has served as Donald Trump’s willing foot-soldier to implement these abusive actions. I call on her to resign because I have no confidence that she can act with humanity and solve this crisis she helped create. The administration must do everything in their power to reunite all the children who were separated from their families.”

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