1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing as a deeply concerned parent and constituent regarding reports that more than 100,000 children have reportedly been separated from their parents under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with approximately three quarters of those children believed to be U.S. citizens. As a parent, I cannot adequately express how horrifying and morally unacceptable this is. No decent society should normalize separating children from the people who care for them, especially on this scale. Regardless of anyone’s political beliefs about immigration policy, children should never be treated as collateral damage in enforcement actions. The emotional trauma caused by sudden family separation can have lifelong consequences for children’s mental health, development, sense of safety, and trust in institutions. What makes this even more disturbing is that so many of these children are reportedly American citizens. These are children who belong here, who go to school here, who are part of American families and communities, and who are now being forced to endure fear, instability, and trauma because of government actions targeting their parents. Immigration enforcement should not come at the expense of basic human dignity or the wellbeing of children. Policies that create widespread family separation are not signs of strength or security — they are signs of cruelty and policy failure. I urge you to: - Oppose policies that result in mass family separation. - Support protections preventing immigration enforcement actions that unnecessarily separate children from parents or caregivers. - Ensure that ICE and related agencies are subject to meaningful oversight and transparency. - Protect due process rights and prioritize alternatives that keep families together whenever possible. - Support mental health and reunification services for affected children and families. This should not be a partisan issue. Parents across political backgrounds should be able to agree that traumatizing children and tearing apart families on a massive scale is unacceptable. History will judge how we responded to these policies. I hope Congress chooses compassion, accountability, and humanity.