Central Coast leaders take a stand on family separations

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday, ending family separation for immigrants who cross the U.S. border illegally. Under the Trump administration’s recent ‘zero-tolerance policy,’ more than 2,300 children have been separated from their parents since May.

Politicians from the Central Coast are taking matters into their own hands, pushing legislation that would further protect families at the border.

This week, Congressman Jimmy Panetta and other democrat colleagues introduced the Keep Families Together Act. It is the House companion to a Senate bill introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein.

“It promotes family unity, not family separation,” Panetta said. “It is a straightforward fix for families fleeing an absolute nightmare situation so that they can live the American dream.”

According to his office, the bill would:
— Keep Families Together: The bill promotes family unity by prohibiting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials from separating children from their parents, except in extraordinary circumstances.
— Establish Public Policy Preference for Family Reunification: The bill establishes a preference for family unity, discourages the separation of siblings, and creates a presumption that detention is not in the best interests of families and children.
— Codify our commitment to the Refugee protocol prohibiting the criminal punishment of those seeking protection from persecution.
— Increase Child Welfare Training: The bill requires all Customs and Border Protection officers and agents to complete child welfare training on an annual basis.
— Add Procedures for Separated Families: The bill requires DHS to develop policies and procedures allowing parents and children to locate each other and reunite if they have been separated.
— Establish Other Required Measures: In order to inform Congressional oversight and promote public understanding of the use family separation, the bill requires a report on the separation of families every six months.

Standing on the footsteps of the U.S. Capitol, Panetta recalled his time as a prosecutor to make his case.

“I can tell you right now, I can tell the president that these babies and children, these mothers and fathers who staying at these detention facilities, that they are not gang members,” Panetta said. “I can also tell you that as a prosecutor, we understood early on, that you don’t just do what’s right by the law, but you must do what’s right by the people affected by the law. So whenever you are in a position to enforce the law, that means that you must use your discretion, you must use your compassion, and you must use your common sense.”

The bill has been sent to the Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security Committee for review.

The Monterey County Board of Supervisors may be one of the first counties in California to take a formal stance on the topic.

Next week, Supervisors Luis Alejo and Simon Salinas will introduce a resolution that no only urges the feds to stop separating families, but also to provide an accessible asylum process for those fleeing violence.

They say the current process is long and complicated.

“You have to get expert witnesses and you have to really prove that what you’re really fleeing, whether it is political persecution, religious persecution or violence in your home countries, is very real,” Alejo said. “And that’s why these cases are complex and you do need to have that legal assistance in court to have that fair chance to be able to be granted asylum.”

Alejo said while he is thankful the separations are slated to stop, now comes the difficult task of reunited families.

“Now the complicated part is going to be, how will you reunite these 2,000 children with their parents now that they’re spread out over three different federal agencies, the Department of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, so this isn’t going to be an easy process of reunited families,” Alejo said.

Alejo said the Santa Cruz City Council would also consider a resolution similar to Monterey County’s next week.