Save the Children CEO: We Must Uphold Our Moral Values and Protect Children

In response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address tonight, Carolyn Miles, President & CEO of Save the Children, issued the following statement:

In tonight’s State of the Union Address, the President cited a crisis at our southern border. This is a man-made humanitarian crisis, the result of a broken immigration system and misguided policies and practices that violate children’s rights. Forcefully separating children from their families and detaining them indefinitely causes great trauma for children. Every child has a right to safety, protection and a future. The president said it is a moral issue. It is – we must protect children.

And America must also uphold our moral values by addressing the root causes of this crisis. Far too many families from Central America’s Northern Triangle – Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – seeking to flee violence, extreme poverty and unrest, decide they must travel far away from their homes to come to the United States. In future negotiations over border security, the President and Congress should seek to reduce this mass migration by addressing root causes and more strongly investing in solutions, while also ensuring the humane treatment of children and families who reach our border seeking asylum.

Save the Children gives children in the United States and around the world a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We invest in childhood — every day, in times of crisis and for our future.