U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly met with Senate Democrats for more than an hour last Wednesday on Capitol Hill to discuss the Trump administration’s immigration policies. While the feedback and reviews of the meeting were mixed, with some members calling it frustrating and others saying that it was helpful, there was agreement about one hopeful outcome. Reportedly, Kelly stated that he does not intend to separate mothers and children at the border and denied considering any policies that would separate families.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who organized the meeting in conjunction with a dozen other senators closely involved with immigration policy, called it “positive and said it offered him more “clarity.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he presented Kelly with several “inhumane cases and added that he would await Kelly’s answers. One such case was a father arrested while on his way to drop off his children at school.
In general, Senate Democrats felt that the meeting served as an important first step in opening the lines of communication with Kelly. The Homeland Security Chief said that he intends to hold a conference this spring on improving conditions in Central America, and intends to discuss the status of deferred action (DACA) recipients in a more wide-ranging meeting in the future.
At the Shulman Law Group, we remain passionately interested in and dedicated to understanding the current issues and political goings-on in Washington regarding immigration policy so that we may best represent and advocate for our immigration clients. We urge interested parties to continue to read our blog for critical breaking news regarding legislation and policy impacting the immigrant community whom we proudly serve.