--- title: Attorneys General to Trump: Stop Separating Migrant Families description: Democratic Attorneys General in 21 states are calling on the Trump Administration to end the family separation policy. canonical: https://time.com/5315923/family-separation-policy-democratic-attorneys-general/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-19T15:26:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:36:50.597Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democratic Attorneys General Ask Trump Administration to End Family Separations og:description: "This practice is contrary to American values and must be stopped." og:url: https://time.com/5315923/family-separation-policy-democratic-attorneys-general/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt394b809e741f9b12/698933570a4a2204ef9d2fdd/propublica-audio-inside-border-patrol-children-crying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6720 og:image:height: 3780 og:image:alt: propublica-audio-inside-border-patrol-children-crying.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democratic Attorneys General Ask Trump Administration to End Family Separations twitter:description: "This practice is contrary to American values and must be stopped." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt394b809e741f9b12/698933570a4a2204ef9d2fdd/propublica-audio-inside-border-patrol-children-crying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democratic Attorneys General Ask Trump Administration to End Family Separations > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 19, 2018 3:26 PM UTC  Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody, pending future immigration court hearings on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas. Thousands of undocumented immigrants continue to cross into the U.S., despite the Trump administration's recent "zero tolerance" approach to immigration policy. Central American immigrant families depart ICE custody, pending future immigration court hearings on June 11, 2018 in McAllen, Texas. Thousands of undocumented immigrants continue to cross into the U.S., despite the Trump administration's recent "zero tolerance" approach to immigration policy. John Moore - Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 19, 2018 3:26 PM UTC Democratic Attorneys General in 21 states are calling on the Trump Administration to end the [“zero tolerance” policy](http://time.com/5300243/sen-jeff-merkley-zero-tolerance-refugee-policy-is-actually-zero-humanity/) that has resulted in the separation of families at the U.S. border. In an open letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen the state officials said the policy is “inhumane” and “contrary to American values.” “Put simply, the deliberate separation of children and their parents who seek lawful asylum in America is wrong,” the letter reads. “This practice is contrary to American values and must be stopped. We demand that you immediately reverse these harmful policies in the best interests of the children and families affected.” New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas led the letter in the wake of reports that some 2,000 children have been separated from their parents since early April. He was joined by AGs from states including Hawaii, California, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. It is not yet clear if they plan to present a formal legal challenge against the policy. The attorneys general say that because it is their duty to enforce laws on human and drug trafficking and gang violence, arguing that policies like this make it difficult for them to work with victims as they do their jobs. They also suggest that by separating kids from their parents the Trump Administration could be violating international, federal and state laws that say a child is better off with their parents unless “a rigorous judicial inquiry” finds that the parent is unfit or has committed a crime. “Policies that separate a child from his or her parent absent that level of inquiry, would not only be illegal under most state laws, but also may be contrary to the policy views of state legislatures and their constituents across this country,” the letter reads. The attorneys general have joined the chorus of lawmakers, civil and immigrant rights groups, and others who are urging the Administration to end the policy. Trump officials, so far, have shown no interest in backing away from the “zero tolerance” policy, under which any person caught illegally crossing the border will be prosecuted. When families cross the border that has meant that parents are taken to federal custody while the children are handed over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement. At the White House on Monday, DHS Secretary Nielsen defended the policy and said “loopholes” in the current system were driving people to attempt to come to the U.S. “Parents who entered illegally are, by definition, criminals,” she said. “Illegal entry is a crime as determined by Congress. By entering our country illegally, often in dangerous circumstances, illegal immigrants have put their children at risk.” Secretary Nielsen and other members of the Trump Administration have suggested that [Congress should step in to address the issue](http://time.com/5315504/donald-trump-congress-immigration/), but lawmakers have said the White House can and should easily stop family separations on its own. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5315923/family-separation-policy-democratic-attorneys-general/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5315923/family-separation-policy-democratic-attorneys-general/"},"headline":"Democratic Attorneys General Ask Trump Administration to End Family Separations","datePublished":"2018-06-19T15:26:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:36:50.597Z","description":"\"This practice is contrary to American values and must be stopped\"","url":"https://time.com/5315923/family-separation-policy-democratic-attorneys-general/","keywords":["Immigration","White House","States","Donald Trump","family separation policy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt394b809e741f9b12/698933570a4a2204ef9d2fdd/propublica-audio-inside-border-patrol-children-crying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt394b809e741f9b12/698933570a4a2204ef9d2fdd/propublica-audio-inside-border-patrol-children-crying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"propublica-audio-inside-border-patrol-children-crying.jpg","caption":"Undocumented Immigrants Go To Court For Deportation Hearings","creditText":"John Moore - Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/immigration/","name":"Immigration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5315923/family-separation-policy-democratic-attorneys-general/","name":"Democratic Attorneys General Ask Trump Administration to End Family Separations"}}]}] ```