Seventy-five former U.S. attorneys are blasting the policy of separating children from parents entering the U.S. illegally, calling it "inhumane" and "dangerous."
Their criticism came in an open letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and was posted on Medium by the former prosecutors.
"We write as former United States attorneys who have served under both Republican and Democratic presidents," they wrote. "Like the majority of Americans, we have been horrified by the images and stories of children torn from their families along our nation’s southwest border.
"And like a majority of Americans, we are appalled that your zero tolerance policy has resulted in the unnecessary trauma and suffering of innocent children."
Those signing the letter included former federal prosecutors Preet Bharara, who had served in New York; Wilfredo Ferrer of Florida; David Hickton of Pennsylvania; Bill Nettles of South Carolina and Barbara McQuade of Michigan.
"Traumatizing children by separating them from their parents as a deterrent for adult conduct is, in our view, sufficient reason to halt your policy," the former prosecutors said in the letter. "But as former U.S. attorneys, we know that the collateral consequences of this ill-advised approach ultimately render us less safe as a nation.
"It is time for you to announce that this policy was ill-conceived and that its consequences and cost are too drastic, too inhumane, and flatly inconsistent with the mission and values of the United States Department of Justice. It is time for you to end it. Effective leadership and the integrity of the world’s leading law enforcement agency require nothing less."
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