WA-08 Candidates React To Trump Border Separation Policy

SEATTLE, WA - The national dialogue is consumed by the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border with families being separated under a new Trump administration "zero tolerance" policy. In the hottest federal race in Washington, candidates in the WA-08 race are speaking out - including Republican Dino Rossi.

Almost two weeks ago, the leading Democrats in the race - Kim Schrier, Shannon Hader, and Jason Rittereiser - released a joint statement via the state Democratic Party. The statement came after hundreds of women were transferred to a detention facility in SeaTac, putting them thousands of miles away from their children.

"There are moments in history that transcend politics. This is one of them. That's why we're taking a brief break from the campaign trail to come together as Democrats - and as Americans - to reject this policy and call for its immediate end.

"The solution to our immigration debate should not be to rip children away from their parents. We should all agree on that," the statement read.

The three Democrats also accused Rossi of "staying silent" on the matter. Asked his opinion about the policy on Tuesday, Rossi responded with this:

"It should not be U.S. policy to separate parents from their children. Congress should address this immediately by passing legislation to fix this problem along with the rest of our broken immigration system."

According to his campaign website, Rossi supports increased border security and "enforcing immigration laws." The Trump administration has tried to argue that separating children from their parents is law, but it's not - it's a policy on a 1997 court ruling that deems children cannot be incarcerated with their parents.

Upping the ante, Rittereiser announced Tuesday he would provide pro-bono representation for immigration officials who refuse to enforce the Trump policy. The free legal assistance would be offered through the law firm he works for, HKM Employment Attorneys.

What else happened over the last week in the WA-08 race? Here are endorsements and upcoming events (last week's Dino Vs. the Democrats column was delayed due to the WA-09 race, so we're cramming two weeks of endorsements in here).

Endorsements June 4 - 18

• Shannon Hader - Pierce County Democrats; 33rd Legislative District Democrats (Renton, Tukwila, Kent); Foreign Policy for America Action Network; state Senator Jeannie Darneille (Tacoma); state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña (Seattle); 25th Legislative District Democrats (Puyallup)
• Kim Schrier - Planned Parenthood Action Fund

Upcoming Events

• June 23 - Jason Rittereiser Listen & Learn Town Hall in Ellensburg
• June 23 - Shannon Hader at Wenatchee Pride Festival 2018
• June 23 - Kim Schrier Pre-Wenatchee Pride Meet & Greet
• June 24 - Stanford Alums - Come and support Shannon in Seattle!
• June 28 - Meet Jason Rittereiser at the Saam Household in Issaquah!
• June 30 - Jason Rittereiser Listen & Learn Town Hall in Maple Valley!

Image courtesy state of Washington