Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that they plan to file a multistate lawsuit as early as next week, demanding that the children who have been separated from their parents at the border be promptly reunited with their families. Even with the President’s new executive order, there are significant concerns about what will happen to the nearly 2,300 children who have been separated from their parents, including those who are here in Oregon.

Statement from Attorney General Rosenblum:

“This President has repeatedly failed to live up to his promises. Even with the Executive Order he signed yesterday, how can we trust his word? Will the families already torn apart ever be reunited? The President’s order is silent on that issue.”

“Many concerns remain unanswered: The President’s order says that children will be held with parents ‘indefinitely’, but where? Children certainly do not belong behind bars—even with their parents! We will continue to evaluate the impact of these cruel policies on our state and will have more to say soon about intended legal action.”

The states set to join the lawsuit include: Washington, Massachusetts, California, Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Minnesota.