Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Sunday she will not have asylum seekers and those seeking refuge in the United States held in detention facilities if she is elected president.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate rejected the push by some GOP lawmakers to pass legislation to allow the Trump administration to hold families for a longer period of time to help combat the increasing flow of migrants across the southern border.
Under current policy, children can only be held in detention for 20 days.
“As president of the United States, I wouldn’t use the detention system at all,” the New York Democrat told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
She only supports funding border security measures that focus on combating human and drug trafficking as well as anti-terrorism efforts.
Ms. Gillibrand said those seeking refuge in the U.S. should be given a lawyer and a process to seek asylum.
“They will follow it,” she said. “They can go into the community.”
The New York lawmaker said President Trump’s immigration policy has been divisive and harmful.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.