Street Roots • June 8-14, 2018
E d ito r ia l
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Separating children from asylum seekers unconscionable
t is outrageous that we have to declare in
this administration’s selections. There are
print that children should not be traumatized
children waiting.
and discarded for political gain. But this
On Sunday, June 3, the personal impact of this
abuse is exactly what our government is doing in policy was put into the spotlight as Oregon’s
our name.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley stood outside an
The contribution of immigrants to our country immigrant detention facility in Brownsville,
has always been a supporting pillar in our values
Texas, to decry the treatment of families seeking
as Americans. Today, we are facing an attack on
asylum in the United States. That experience, as
those fundamental values,
he was denied entrance, has become a viral
one shrouded in political
video online. During his trip, Merkley was
jargon but nonetheless
allowed access to a processing facility - a first-
following the playbook of
stop for immigrants detained managed by the
isolationism, xenophobia
Department of Homeland Security - and
and racism.
described the harsh conditions he saw there.
The Trump
Over this past weekend, staffers with U.S.
administration has issued a “zero tolerance”
Sen. Bob Menendez, (D-N.J.), were also denied
policy on people trying to enter the United
entrance to an immigrant detention facility in
States, including those seeking asylum. Before
California, despite prior requests for access.
this policy, people caught crossing the Mexican
Trump blames an unspecified law created by
border illegally were detained
Democrats for the actions.
and then sent back across the
However, Merkley and legal
border. The new policy,
experts say there is no legal
announced by U.S. Attorney
requirement that children be
In lieu of
General Jeff Sessions, is that
taken from their families. This is a
constructive
all illegal crossers, including
strategy to keep people from
immigration reform, Central and South America from
asylum seekers, will be
prosecuted by the Department
we've been given a
entering the country, even for
of Homeland Security and
policy to inflict pain legal protection under U.S. law.
charged with a felony, facing
“It’s a new policy not aimed at
on children as a
months in prison, while their
border security,” Merkley said in a
means for blocking
children are sent to juvenile
phone press conference on
certain
people,
detention facilities. Reports say
Tuesday. “It’s a policy to punish
specifically
people
hundreds of children have been
and deter those people coming to
the border illegally. But the
removed from their parent’s
from Central and
p ro te c tio n and p lac ed in th e
application for asylum is
S o u th A m e ric a , fro m
h a n d s of th e D e p a rtm e n t of
s e e k in g asylum in th e g u a ra n te e d by law.”
Human Services.
In lieu of constructive
United
States.
In Sessions’ words, “If you
immigration reform, we’ve been
given a policy to inflict pain on
are smuggling a child, then we
children as a means for blocking
will prosecute you and that
certain people, specifically people
child will be separated from
from Central and South America, from seeking
you as required by law. If you don’t like that,
asylum in the United States.
then don’t smuggle children over our border.”
“It’s morally bankrupt. It’s wrong on every
And just like that, people migrating from Latin
level,” said Merkley. “You don’t hurt children in
America are labeled wholesale as felons and
order to influence the policy choices of their
smugglers, better suited to the abject poverty
parents.”
and violence they “chose” to escape.
The New York Times reported in April that it
There’s great political capital in that language,
has data showing more than 700 children have
even before a single arrest. Organizations like
been taken from adults claiming to be their
the Center for Immigration Studies, the
parents since October, including more than 100
propaganda arm for the anti-immigrant
movement, are firing up their members with this children under the age of 4. The ACLU has filed
a class-action lawsuit against federal immigration
rhetoric. CIS has been labeled a hate group by
bureaus to stop the practice of separating
the Southern Poverty Law Center for repeated
circulation of white supremacist, anti-Semitic and children from their parents.
Merkley’s been criticized for creating a
racist material. This is the channel people who
publicity stunt. Regardless, he and Menendez
demonize and scapegoat immigrants turn to,
make an important point that we shouldn’t be
including the Federation for American
kept in the dark about the human toll extracted
Immigration Reform. FAIR is the national
by our immigration policies.
organization backing local efforts to repeal
Members of Congress should be able to visit,
Oregon’s sanctuary state status, which bars local
on 24-hour notice, any detention facility in
law enforcement officials from doing the work of
America. As Merkley said, we shouldn’t have to
federal immigration officers.
wait weeks for access - for a “Potemkin
And in front of CIS is where the nation’s
leading immigration official, Thomas Homan, the moment,” referring to the euphemism for a
manifestation intended to deceive people into
acting director of the nation’s Immigration and
thinking something is better than it really is.
Customs Enforcement agency, gave a speech on
We won’t stand for this. We won’t be lied to
Tuesday. Despite calls for him to cancel the
and kept in the dark about the real-life
engagement, Homan took the stage, giving
consequences behind this administration’s
credibility to an organization that spreads
destructive actions.
“abhorrent viewpoints, including white
Demand that this administration stop using
supremacism and anti-Semitism,” according to
children as pawns in its war against Latino
one congressman’s plea.
immigrants, and support our representatives in
This same organization is where Trump has
their effort to raise the curtain on our
selected his next assistant secretary of state for
immigration procedures. What we don’t know
the Bureau of Population, Refugees and
hurts all of us, especially the vulnerable among
Migration, Richard Mortenson.
us.
But let’s not start going through the list of
I
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