Americans United for Separation of Church and State today sharply criticized U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for citing the Bible to defend the Trump administration’s policy of separating families at the border with Mexico.

“Sessions’ statement is profoundly disturbing,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. “The separation of church and state means that we don’t base public policy on the Bible or any religious book. Our nation’s top law enforcement official, however, is using his interpretation of the Bible to defend the Trump administration’s policy of separating children and their immigrant parents.”

“While today’s decision isn’t what we had hoped for, the good news is that it’s very limited in its scope,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. “It does not change the long-standing rule that businesses open to the public must be open to all."

“The Trump administration’s new rules have two major problems: They hurt women and they misuse religious freedom in the process,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of AU. “Religious freedom laws should protect people, not harm them. These rules cannot be squared with the Constitution or our core values.”

“The Do No Harm Act will ensure that we honor two core American values: religious freedom and the promise of equal protection under the law,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United.

“The U.S. House of Representatives’ practice of having overwhelmingly Christian and monotheistic invocations does not reflect the religious pluralism of today’s America,” said Rachel Laser, AU’s president and CEO. “The chaplains offering invocations to the House should reflect this religious diversity.”