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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2018)
Page 12 March 21, 2018 MCS Still in Business O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $50.00 A small distance/travel charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $50.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area and Hallway Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $30.00 Heavily Soiled Area: $10.00 each area (Requiring Pre-Spray) Area/Oriental Rug Cleaning Regular Area Rugs $25.00 Minimum Wool Oriental Rugs $40.00 Minimum UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $70.00 Loveseat: $50.00 Sectional: $110 - $140 Chair or Recliner: $25.00 - $50.00 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 Stunning Cruelty to Immigration Enforcement Children separated from parents J iLL r iChardson We’ve reached a cruel new phase in the U.S. govern- ment’s war on im- migrants without papers. And it should disturb you no matter what your views on im- migration. When undocumented immi- grant families are detained, they are being increasingly split up. Not only are whole families being rounded up, but parents are being detained separately from their children — often states away. Jose Demar Fuentes, an asylum seeker from El Salvador, is being held in San Diego. His one year old son is being held in Texas. “What I would give to have my son close to me,” he told a San Di- ego radio station through tears. Some believe separating fami- lies is a coordinated tactic of the Trump regime to discourage un- documented immigration. Separating parents and children is so traumatic to the developing brains of children that it should be considered inhumane. Maybe even torture. by One study counts how many adverse childhood events a per- son suffered and correlates them with mental and physical health problems. The study — online at ACEstoohigh. com — counts 10 different types of childhood trauma: physical, sexual, or emo- tional abuse, the loss of a parent, having a parent suffer addiction or mental all, and especially separately from their parents, is predisposing them to a lifetime of illness. Families coming from El Sal- vador like Fuentes are fleeing vio- lence. They’ll keep fleeing as long as it remains unsafe. Wouldn’t you? Odds are you would do just about anything to keep your chil- dren from being murdered. Given what they’re fleeing, their children might well have al- we’re making the world a worse place by unnecessarily traumatiz- ing them. Fuentes’ son is one. Are we really such an inhumane country that we’ll terrorize a one-year-old to make a point to undocumented immigrants that they shouldn’t come here? A blameless one-year- old? There are many ways to resolve the problems with immigration Simply having a parent in prison is a trauma for a child. Being in prison themselves, and apart from their parents, is even more so. So detaining immigrant children at all, and especially separately from their parents, is predisposing them to a lifetime of illness. illness, and so on. Most Americans score at least a one on the test. But the higher your score, the more likely you are to suffer heart disease, suicide, al- coholism, cancer, diabetes, mental illness, and more later on. Simply having a parent in pris- on is a trauma for a child. Being in prison themselves, and apart from their parents, is even more so. So detaining immigrant children at ready suffered traumas at home, and then suffered more on the journey through Mexico. By ensuring their trauma con- tinues once they reach the Unit- ed States, it’s questionable we’ll discourage others from coming. But it’s certain we’ll permanently harm the health of the children we detain. That child will grow up some- where. Wherever they wind up, system. Whatever we choose, surely we can find one that doesn’t fall on the backs of innocent chil- dren. Ideally, we can find a solution that keeps families together. OtherWords columnist Jill Richardson is the author of Rec- ipe for America: Why Our Food System Is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It. Distributed by OtherWords.org.
