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WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul D. Tonko issued the following statement today after voting against the extreme Goodlatte immigration bill, noting that it would neither restrict future separation of immigrant children from their families nor address other urgent concerns:

“As expected, the House voted today to reject the dangerous Goodlatte bill, which had policies that were a clear departure from American values. Nothing in the bill would prevent children and their parents from being separated. In fact, it puts more children in danger by keeping them in jail for longer periods of time with fewer standards to protect their well-being.

“I remain deeply troubled by the total lack of interest from the President and from my colleagues in Congress to offer a serious plan for reuniting the more than 2,300 children separated from their parents by our government under the President’s so-called “zero-tolerance” policy.

“Meanwhile, the vote on the so-called compromise bill has been postponed so that Republicans can attempt to secure votes for another partisan bill.

“Our nation faces a complex challenge when it comes to immigration reform. Congress needs to deal with this issue by finding a comprehensive and bipartisan path forward. I have supported many bipartisan bills this session of Congress that could be voted on today. However, nothing I have seen from Republican leaders to this point suggests that they are willing or able to reach across the aisle to find common ground.”

Between May 5 and June 9, the Trump Administration separated 2,342 children from their families under its new “Zero Tolerance” policy.

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