FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2023
Contact: Emily Phelps | press@indivisible.org
Washington, DC — Today, Mary Small, Chief Strategy Officer at Indivisible, issued the following statement in response to media coverage suggesting the Biden administration is considering reinstating policies of detaining migrant families following the end of Title 42:
“The Biden administration must clarify immediately that it will not pursue any kind of policy of family detention at the border. If it’s not on the table, then the Biden administration must immediately disavow the idea and correct any news coverage.
“There should be no ambiguity, no trial balloons.
“Allowing any room for confusion on this, much less moving forward in any way, is out of line with values we hold dear: justice for immigrants, human rights, and a strong multi-racial democracy that welcomes newcomers and rejects xenophobia.
“This is about kids. Democrats are the pro-kid party. We are the party of the Child Tax Credit, the one that wants to expand educational opportunities and not ban books, the one that cares if all kids have enough food to eat. Not the party that is punitive, controlling, coercive, that uses kids as propaganda tools. That's the other guys.
“This is not a side issue for our movement. Indivisible mobilized in 2016 and 2017 in large part to rally in support of immigrant families under threat. The Muslim ban, kids being separated at the border -- these were galvanizing moments for the movement that ultimately put Democrats back in power, that later served as the boots on the ground that elected President Biden.
“We hope the administration clarifies this point right away.”
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About the Indivisible Project
The Indivisible Project (501c4) is a social movement non-profit driven by a vision of a real democracy - of, by, and for the people. Indivisible began in 2016 as a viral guide to resisting Trump’s agenda. Today, the Indivisible movement is a network of thousands of local groups and millions of activists across every state. The Indivisible Project drives campaigns for bold progressive policies, lobbies Congress, and equips activists with tools to build lasting progressive power, everywhere. Together, we fight to defeat the rightwing takeover of American government and build an inclusive democracy.