June 19, 2018

Rep. Ruben Gallego Calls on White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to Resign

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released the following statement:

"The Trump administration's policy of dehumanizing children and unnecessarily separating families for political show is nothing short of cruel, and those who have created, implemented, and defended it must be held accountable.

"At the very least, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security owe the American people both transparency and honesty. Under the direction of Chief of Staff John Kelly and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, we have received neither.

"Secretary Nielsen's misleading statements and outright lies – including a blanket denial that this family separation policy exists, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary – make her unfit for public office. But the buck stops at the top, and John Kelly is ultimately responsible for the across-the-board mishandling of the crisis that the Trump administration has created at our border. Both Kelly and Nielsen should take responsibility for this catastrophe and resign immediately.

"There is no law demanding that children must be separated from their families at the border. If the White House refuses to back down, then the House and Senate GOP must step up and take action to prevent this cruelty. Democrats stand by eager to reverse this deeply misguided and malicious policy."