Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen as a result of the controversial practice of separating children from their parents who cross into the U.S. illegally, The Hill is reporting.
"It is and was a cruel policy inconsistent with the bedrock values of the nation," Durbin said Tuesday during an oversight hearing of the government’s efforts to reunite the families. "Someone in this administration has to accept responsibility.
"I am today calling on the architect of this humanitarian disaster, Department of Homeland Security Secret Kirstjen Nielsen, to step down, The New York Post quoted him.
The Hill noted Durbin is the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate. Other Democratic senators, including Kamala Harris of California, Jeff Merkley or Oregon and Tina Smith of Minnesota also have called for Nielsen to step down, The Hill noted.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also has demanded Nielsen’s resignation