Washington, D.C. – In response to news reports that Texas state troopers are separating fathers from their wives and children at the US-Mexico border, Katharina Obser, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC), issued the following statement:

“The Women’s Refugee Commission is deeply alarmed that at least 26 families have been separated at the US-Mexico border by Texas state troopers as part of Operation Lone Star.

“During the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy, I witnessed how family separation inflicts lasting trauma on the parents and children who were cruelly torn apart. It is unconscionable that this horrific practice is added onto a long list of cruel practices already taking place under Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star – including using razor wire and large buoys to block the Rio Grande shore. When people are fleeing to save their lives, attempts at deterrence only place vulnerable people in more danger and anguish, rather than stop their need to seek safety.

“We urge Governor Abbott to end Operation Lone Star and all immigration enforcement practices that aim to punish and harm families for seeking safety.”

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