National
Sen. Johnson’s bill seeks to end separation of families under immigration law
More beds, more judges and more inspections are all part of the new immigration legislation just introduced by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
The 63-year-old said ‘The Families Act’ is meant to provide one fix for what he calls, “our broken immigration system.”
The Families Act calls for increasing the number of detention facilities available for families who are caught crossing the border illegally or who may be seeking asylum.
Johnson said the proposal addresses the current “lose-lose situation” of immigration enforcement that “practically requires children be separated from parents” if current laws are enforced.
Johnson’s proposal addresses the separation issue by essentially stopping the practice, except in the cases where, among other things, a child is being trafficked.
It also requires adding not less than 225 immigration judges to help expedite asylum cases and help the system get through the massive backlog of cases already pending.