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Gov. Inslee attacks Trump, signs executive order for legal aid to immigrant families


Calling President Trump a “liar to the American people," Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed an executive order Tuesday, intended to provide $233,000 for legal help for immigrant families seeking asylum. (Photo: KOMO News)
Calling President Trump a “liar to the American people," Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed an executive order Tuesday, intended to provide $233,000 for legal help for immigrant families seeking asylum. (Photo: KOMO News)
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SEATAC, Wash. - Calling President Trump a “liar to the American people," Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed an executive order Wednesday, intended to provide legal help for immigrant families seeking asylum.

The order provides an additional $233,000 in emergency funding to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, which provides legal assistance in immigration cases for people who can’t afford it. The group was previously awarded a $1 million grant from the Washington Department of Commerce by the legislature early this year.

“We should not expect a president to repeatedly lie to the American people and that’s what he has done here and it’s shameful,” said Inslee.

During his announcement, Inslee said there were nine children in Washington state, who were separated from their parents who tried to cross the southern border with Mexico. The governor did not disclose who they are, where they came from and where they are citing privacy reasons.

Approximately 200 individuals, most of them mothers, are being detained at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. Inslee said he and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson have sent two letters to Attorney General Jeff Sessions demanding answers to when the children in our state will be reunited with their parents.

Inslee said he’s seen no response back.

“It’s likely that the children that are here, their parents could be held at the border or somewhere else,” saidJorge Baron, Executive Director of the Northwest Immigrants Project. “There has been no rhyme or reason how the feds have been sending people around.”

During his announcement, Governor Inslee repeated called President Trump a liar and used the separation of kids from their parents as a propaganda tool.

“The president started this, those suffering and those tears of those kids are right on his head and it's unacceptable, to anybody,” Inslee said sternly. “We need to stand up to this bully and if we stand up to this bully we can defeat him, because he folded like a cheap suit.”

On Tuesday, President Trump signed and executive order to end the forced separations of migrant families at the border.

Governor Inslee and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson plan to announce what they call, "major action" on the Trump administration's family separation policy and Wednesday's executive order.

That announcement is scheduled for Thursday at noon outside the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac.

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