Republican State Senator Whitney Westerfield of Hopkinsville is speaking out against federal policy decisions responsible for separating children from their families entering the country illegally.
The Department Of Homeland Security reports nearly two-thousand immigrant children have been separated from their families and held in shelters at the U.S southern border.
Westerfield- who has pushed for change in Kentucky’s juvenile detention system- said it bothers him to see young people who haven’t broken the law detained.
“I think it’s a cruel way to address a population of people who are trying to get away from a hellish experience to come to America," Westerfield said. "That’s not the kind of welcome they should be getting.”
Westerfield believes there are more constructive and helpful ways the U.S. can deliver on national security interests.
He’s contacted both Senator Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul’s respective offices seeking their support in consideringfederal legislation that would end the practice of separating children from their families.
Westerfield said McConnell’s staff members said the senator is considering several bills that deal with immigration reform.
