Letter to Rodney Davis on family separation policies, June 2018

Rep. Davis,

More than a month ago, President Trump announced that his administration would begin to separate the children of those families apprehended at the border trying to cross into the United States from their parents. It has become clear that this includes not just those families who are crossing without documentation and facing misdemeanor legal charges; it also includes families who are seeking asylum from violence or persecution. In many cases, parents haven’t seen their children for more than a month. In other cases, they spend weeks after their release finding and working to be reunited with their children.

You have spent that entire month in silence, neither mentioning the issue yourself nor responding to questions on the topic. These policies are inhumane and immoral, and we are astounded that you are unwilling to reject them or even discuss them.

You are making a callous and timid political calculation in the face of deep, unnecessary suffering.

We call on you to:

• Explain your position on these issues publicly and immediately.
• Voice your support for asylum seekers and support for the idea that seeking asylum is a perfectly legal act that should not be punished.
• Support the Help Separated Families Act and the HELP Separated Children Act that have been introduced in the House.
• Sign the discharge petition that would force a vote on current bipartisan bills to codify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. You have said again and again that you support DACA protections — it’s time to take meaningful action on the support that you claim.

Our tax dollars are being spent on a set of awful practices, and they are being done in our name. We demand that that stop, and we expect you to be our voice in Congress on these issues.

Marci Adelston-Schafer, Champaign
Aadeel Akhtar, Urbana
Whitney Akhtar, Urbana
John Alsop, Champaign
Chadwick Anderson, Decatur
Patricia Anderson, Champaign
Joseph Anthony, Champaign
Susan Appel, Urbana
Nate Atkinson, Champaign
Debby Auble, Champaign
Colleen Aziz, Urbana
Linda Bair, Champaign
Peggy S. Baity, Decatur
Corinne Banach, Champaign
Reshoma Banerjee, Urbana
Deborah Baker, Monticello
Trish Barker, Champaign
Leslie Barr, Champaign
Jane Barrett, Champaign
Benjamin Beaupre, Champaign
Susan Becker, Urbana
John Beckhart, Cisco
Susan G. Bednar, Monticello
Bill Bell, Champaign
Alice Berkson, Champaign
Martina Bishopp, Glen Carbon
Philipp Blume, Champaign
William Brooks, Champaign
Michele Brown, Champaign
Ann Burger, Urbana
David Butler, Urbana
Cindy Cantwell, Springfield
Patricia Cardenas, Urbana
Jennifer M. Carroll, Monticello
Samantha Lindgren, Champaign
Hsiao-Ching Chen, Champaign
Maureen Collins-Kolb, Clinton
Elizabeth Crk, Glen Carbon
Craig Cutbirth, Champaign
Dick Detzner, Urbana
Rachel Dimock, Savoy
Donna Dixon, Alton
John Drueke, Edwardsville
Christy Ann Elamma, Bement
Steve Errede, Champaign
Robin Fellers, Urbana
Deborah Jean Ferrari, Edwardsville
Ben Fiore, Mount Olive
Colin Fiore, Mount Olive
Joanie Fiore, Mount Olive
Sarah Fiore, Mount Olive
Ryan Flanagan, Urbana
Don Francisco, Champaign
Joyce Francisco, Champaign
Claudine Fréard, Urbana
Carol Gerdt, Edwardsville
Angela Glaros, Urbana
Robin Goettel, Urbana
Susan Guironnet, Urbana
Laura Haber, Urbana
Marie Hackett, Edwardsville
Neil Hackett, Edwardsville
Rita Hackett, Edwardsville
Laura Hahn, Champaign
James W. Hannum, Urbana
Christina Harden, Urbana
Jacqueline Harden, Urbana
Kathy Harden, Champaign
Ravishankar Hasanadka, Urbana
Mary Lucille Hays, White Heath
Amy Heggemeyer, Champaign
Pamela Hill, Urbana
Beth Hogan
Dan Ingram, Monticello
Katie Ingram, Monticello
Deborah Insana, Urbana
Michael Insana, Urbana
Karen Johnston, Champaign
Lois Kain, Urbana
Karen B. Kane, Champaign
Todd Kinney, Urbana
Joseph Klaus, Urbana
Eileen Kohen, Urbana
Milinn Kremitzki, Edwardsville
David A. Krooks, Champaign
Megan Kuhlenschmidt, Champaign
Ming Kuo, Urbana
Susan Laesch, Champaign
Walter Laesch, Champaign
Alison Lamothe, Edwardsville
Cloydia Hill Larimore, Urbana
Bernadette Laumann, Champaign
Ben Leff, Urbana
Elizabeth Levine Levy, Edwardsville
Ellen Leyerle, Champaign
Mike Leyerle, Champaign
Yu-Feng Lin, Champaign
Kerrith Livengood, Champaign
Anne Lukeman, Champaign
Melissa J. Lunderby, Urbana
Laura Lyon, Urbana
Terry Maher, Champaign
Chris Main
Hector Mandel, Philo
Mike Marlow, Champaign
Pat Marlow, Champaign
Jeremy Martin, Edwardsville
Jill Martin, Edwardsville
John Martin, Springfield
Joyce Mast, Champaign
Wendy Mathewson, Urbana
Gayle Matteson, Hillsboro
Vida Mazzocco, Champaign
Charles A. McCaffrey, Springfield
Meaghan McGinnis, Champaign
Cynthia McKendall, Champaign
Susan McKenna, Urbana
Loretta McKenzie, Springfield
Rosemary McLeese, Monticello
Ingrid Melief, Urbana
Robert C. Mielke, Decatur
Jennifer Monson, Urbana
Georgette Moore, Champaign
Kay Mulhall, Savoy
Elizabeth Murphy, Champaign
Mary Murphy, White Heath
Tom Murphy, White Heath
Susan Mynatt, Savoy
Faruq Nelson, Savoy
Patricia Nolan, Urbana
Marianne O’Grady, Urbana
Kelly Orban, Medora
Diane Ore, Champaign
Rob Ore, Champaign
Lara Orr, Urbana
Andrew Orta, Urbana
Peggy Patten, Urbana
Jo Pauly, Urbana
Laura J. Pouloksy, Urbana
Nathan Poulosky, Urbana
Ann Prisland, Champaign
Ellen E. Proctor, Edwardsville
Jenny Putman, Urbana
Ann Quackenbush, Champaign
Dana Rabin, Urbana
Amie Reed, Glen Carbon
Benjamin Reed, Clinton
Jennifer Rice, Champaign
Deborah Richardson, Champaign
Mary Rivers, White Heath
Stephanie Robbins, Edwardsville
Michael Robson, Urbana
Cory Rohn, Champaign
Harry Rosenberg, Champaign
Sasha Rubel, Urbana
Jake Rundall, Champaign
Leslie Rye, Champaign
Kari Sanderson, Urbana
Alexander Scheeline, Champaign
Melissa Schoeplein, Urbana
Catherine Schneider, Urbana
Mary Severinghaus, Mahomet
Kathy Shannon, Champaign
Adriana Smith, Champaign
Casey Smith, Urbana
Wayne Smith, Champaign
Miranda Soucie, Urbana
Ruth Stoltzfus, Urbana
Phil Strang, Urbana
Jennifer Straub, Urbana
Stephanie Swift, Urbana
Lindsey Tallerico, Glen Carbon
Jami Taylor, Champaign
Traci Quigg Thomas, Champaign
Trenna Thomas, Champaign
Diane Tipps, Champaign
John Toenjes, Tolono
Jake Tolbert, Decatur
Nathan Tolbert, Champaign
Renée Trilling, Champaign
Creel Forever Unbelove’d, Champaign
Beth Van, Champaign
Mitri Van, Champaign
Alice Thompson Vaughan, Urbana
Don M. Gwinn, Virden
Mary Beth Wade, Champaign
Catherine Watkins, Champaign
Mary Wehking, Edwardsville
Ruth Wene, Urbana
Elliot Carl Weinberg, Urbana
Barry Weiner, Champaign
Linda Weiner, Champaign
Jane G. White, Bement
Kim Whittlesey, Urbana
Liesel Wildhagen, Urbana
Kate Winkler, Champaign
Victoria Williams, Champaign
Rebecca Wiltfong, Urbana