AFT President Randi Weingarten Responds to Trump Executive Order

WASHINGTON—Statement of AFT President Randi Weingarten responding to President Trump’s executive order following universal condemnation of his policy of ripping children from their families:

“Thank God President Trump caved under the universal public condemnation and outrage over his administration's unconscionable policy of ripping children from families and caging them. To be real, the first step is not tweeting, but reuniting these children who have suffered irreparable harm and trauma along with their parents.

“This struggle for basic humanity is not over—family unification cannot be traded for indefinite family internment or imprisonment. The families seeking asylum are not criminals, they are fleeing near-certain death in their own country and seeking refuge and compassion from our nation.

“The complaint we delivered to the United Nations this morning still stands. These actions still violate basic human rights and have caused deep and traumatic harm. The nations of the world must take action against these immoral and hateful acts by this administration. It has been heartening to see that while Donald Trump’s government may be motivated by a polarizing and dehumanizing ideology, the American people—through their condemnations and outrage—spoke out in ways that could not be ignored. We must continue to speak out and act to protect the values and principles of this nation of immigrants and on which our nation was founded.”