All across the country, we’ve been shocked by the photos and stories of immigrants fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries, only to be met with cruel treatment and unsafe conditions in the United States. Innocent children are being separated from their parents and made to sleep on the floor. People are being corralled into overcrowded rooms and told to drink from toilets if they’re thirsty. These conditions aren’t just wrong, they can be deadly.
Minnesotans are fed up. We’ve marched, organized, and called for action, and Minnesota DFLers in Washington like Senator Tina Smith are working to stop the Trump administration’s cruelty.
I hear you. This Administration’s immigration policies are inhumane and it’s time to make sure families are reunited now. https://t.co/h6V05AfFba
— Tina Smith (@TinaSmithMN) July 2, 2019
Meanwhile, some Minnesota Republicans are lying to us and standing with Trump.
At a townhall this weekend at Rochester Community and Technical College, Minnesotans expressed concern about the situation at the border. In response, Republican Congressman Jim Hagedorn had this to say:
“The people that are there, they can leave. Nobody is holding them against their will—they can leave.”
That’s a bold-faced lie.
In most cases, immigrants are forced to remain in the detention centers until their cases make it through immigration court, and there’s a massive backlog of cases. Plus, thousands of children are still separated from their parents, and it could take years to reunite everyone. Does Hagedorn expect a child to just leave on their own?
In Minnesota, we welcome our immigrant and refugee friends and neighbors, and we treat our fellow humans with dignity and respect. Hagedorn’s response is unacceptable, and it’s un-Minnesotan.
Minnesotans are tired of Republican lies and the Trump administration’s horrendous agenda. We can fight back, but we need your help. Sign up to stop Trumpism in Minnesota, and together we can stand up for progressive values in Minnesota and in Washington.
