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Gov. Rick Scott asks federal authorities to stop separating immigrant families at border

Posted at 10:47 AM, Jun 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-20 11:07:21-04

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott is calling on President Donald Trump's administration to stop separating immigrant families at the border.

Scott put the request in a letter he sent Tuesday to the head of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Scott's letter also requested that federal authorities notify state officials when they bring into Florida migrant children who have been separated from their families. Federal authorities earlier this year reopened a facility near Miami where children are being kept.

The Republican governor also wants to know what services are being provided to the children and whether they have had any health screenings. He said the information is needed to make sure that the children are being protected.

Scott's letter came on the same day that U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz were denied access to a facility in Homestead.