Booker Says He Would Close ‘Inhumane’ Migrant Detention Centers

Cory Booker vowed to use executive authority as president to end detention for asylum seekers, shut down “inhumane” holding facilities and de-emphasize prosecutions of those in the country illegally unless they pose a safety risk.

The New Jersey senator and Democratic presidential hopeful said that if elected he’d reverse most of President Donald Trump’s border policies on his first day in office without waiting for Congress to take action.

“When kids are being stripped away from their parents and held in cages, I will not wait for Congress to solve this crisis,” Booker said in a statement outlining his immigration plan. “On day one of my presidency, I will take immediate steps to end this administration’s moral vandalism.”

Booker also said he would expand protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, known as dreamers, as well as those granted Temporary Protected Status, who can’t return to their homeland because of armed conflicts, natural disaster or other extraordinary situations.

Booker joined several of his competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination who’ve released plans to reverse Trump’s border crackdown, which has resulted in thousands of people, including children, being held in detention centers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 132,887 people were apprehended trying to cross the southwest border in May.