Thread: DEM REP TO TRUMP: LOVE THESE IMMIGRANT CHILDREN THE SAME WAY YOU LOVE YOUR OWN

Dem rep to Trump: Love these immigrant children the same way you love your own

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) said Sunday he would encourage President Trump to “be a dad” to the children being separated from their parents as part of the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

“Just be a dad. I’m sure you love your children. Love these children the same way you love your own,” Gutiérrez said on CNN.

“Be a dad for one moment,” he added. “Don’t be president. Be a dad.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced earlier this year that the Justice Department would enact a "zero tolerance" policy and aggressively prosecute adults attempting to cross the U.S.–Mexico border illegally. At the time, Sessions acknowledged the process could lead to children being separated from their parents upon being apprehended.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly defended the policy, arguing that it acts as a deterrent against illegal immigration.

Democrats and Republicans, however, have spoken out against the practice.

Amid the push back against family separation, House Republicans have pushed party leadership to take up immigration legislation that would address border security and the fate of young immigrants in the country illegally.

Republican leaders reached an agreement to hold two votes next week on a pair of immigration bills. Trump is scheduled to meet with Republican lawmakers on Tuesday.

Gutiérrez said Sunday that Democrats should not endorse either piece of legislation, arguing the bills would not address the issue of family separation.

http://thehill.com/latino/392684-dem-rep-to-trump-love-these-immigrant-children-the-same-way-you-love-your-own