The cover of the current issue of Time magazine, poignantly captures the inhumane and absurd position that the Trump administration has taken regarding parents and children being separated. The cover includes the president towering over a two-year old girl from Honduras crying for her mother. Trump is simply staring down at her showing no emotion or giving any hint of caring. It should be noted that Trump and the little girl are not in the same location. She is crying for her mother, who is being dealt with by border personnel. What the cover does seem to depict is the detachment that the president has from those seeking asylum in this country. As has been reported over and over, there are 2300 children who have been separated from their families. Those who have been the victims of separation include infants through adolescents. These children have done nothing wrong and their only “crime” is that they came with their families to seek a better life.
Indeed, the country is not equipped to take all who seek refuge, but there must be a more human approach to making these decisions. There is no question that the president has an announced bias toward those crossing into the United States into Texas and Arizona. In his campaigning he referred to the criminals who will come in to murder, rape, and abuse our citizens, yet not all who risk their lives and the lives of their children can be so described. There are good and industrious individuals who are escaping the terror that they have been living in, whether in Mexico or various Central American countries. The inane policy forcing the separation of children from their families has consequences that are inevitable. As these children seek some sense of emotional attention they can only turn to the other children for this reassurance. The staff that manage their “care” are prohibited from making any overtures toward these children, regardless of their age. Consider a one-year or two-year old child who has been ripped from his or her mother, and who seeks caring and soothing attention that only a mother can give; but there is no mother. It is known that these early years are so important in the emotional development of a child as they bond with their parents. What will be the consequences of the lack of concern for these kids? Do we accept the Attorney General’s admonition to the parents, “If you do not want to be separated from your children, don’t bring them with you?” This is the same Trump administration official who tried to quote the Scriptures for justification for the actions taken by the administration. Lord help us!
Yes, the president has back-peddled on the separation of the children from their families. The policy that currently exists allows for families to stay together. Families will be placed in chain-link cages that mirror the shelters where dogs and cats are held. The dogs and cats are, probably, treated better. The cages in McAllen, Texas have euphemistically been referred to as the “Dog Kennel”. On its face, the new policy tends to suggest a backing down from the “zero tolerance” position enunciated by Trump--but not so fast. Those who cross the border, illegally” will be charged with criminal entry into the country. Do not lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of those coming into the country present themselves to border patrol personnel seeking asylum, which is quite legal.
Although parents and children can be kept together, there remain the over 2000 children that have been separated and are “out there somewhere” in one of 17 states that are housing the children. Have the almost 1500 “lost” children been located? How do the parents of those who were separated from them find their child or children? Per the common practice of this administration, there is no plan for the reunification of the parents and children. How long will they remain separated? There are multiple federal agencies involved in this chaos, which accentuates the inevitable inability of the government to act in a timely and efficient manner. As has been stated, all that has happened is that one bad policy has been replaced by another bad policy. The sad reality of this mess is that innocent children are the pawns.