In a battleground congressional district, CD7 Democratic challenger Tom Malinowski this afternoon upbraided his rival, incumbent U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7), against the backdrop of a national immigration debate.

The Trump administration backs a bill that supports interring the children of undocumented immigrants in detention centers at the border. Last week, Lance – who has been a frequent critic of Trump – called for a revival of a 2014 bill sponsored by Senator Cornyn and Representative Cuellar, the HUMANE Act, claiming that it “would keep families united.”

However, the challenger said, family separation is not mentioned once in the HUMANE Act, which instead focuses on expediting the deportation of unaccompanied children to their countries of origin by removing Bush-era protections guaranteeing minors appearances before an immigration judge or a trained asylum officer.

“The policy of family separation is cruel, lawless, immoral, and it must end unconditionally,” Malinowski said. “It should be easy for any member of Congress who opposes this horrific practice to sign on to a bill ending it. However, the bill Lance is touting does nothing to address this crisis. Once again, our Congressman is attempting to appear moderate with a distraction, all the while enabling the extreme policies of his party — and now innocent children are paying the price.”

Malinowski said he supports the Keep Families Together Act, sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein, which would end the practice of family separation and currently has 48 cosponsors in the Senate.  It has not been considered by GOP leadership in the House, or received comment from Speaker Paul Ryan, who Lance eagerly supports.

Todd Mitchell, Lance’s chief of staff, responded in a statement.

“Congressman Lance has spoken out forcibly against family separation and called for a bipartisan solution to address the problem,” Mitchell said. “Tom Malinowski has thrown his support behind a partisan measure that will make our borders less secure.  Even leading Senate moderate Susan Collins opposes the Malinowski bill, saying, `It is far too broad. It would essentially prevent arrest within 100 miles of the border, even if the person has committed a serious crime or is suspected of terrorist activity. So that is not the answer.` (CBS’ “Face the Nation,” June 17, 2018).  Congressman Lance will continue to work toward bipartisan solutions to the problem.”