In The Shadows ...

Divided We Stand?

June 16, 2018. Day 3.

Happy Saturday! (I wonder if that's an oxymoron? 😁)

So, I had planned to use this project as a way to call attention to all the little stuff that was going on under the radar as Trump's minions slowly changed the nature of our country - not with a sledgehammer, but with a scalpel - bit by bit. Since I got started late, some of seemingly small changes have ballooned in the headlines so I'm playing catch up. One such item was the Trump's administration's change to a "zero-tolerance" immigration policy several months ago.

The What: Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the administration's policy last month. "So, if you cross the border unlawfully, even a first offense, we're going to prosecute you," Sessions told a gathering of the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies. "If you're smuggling a child, we're going to prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you, probably, as required by law. If you don't want your child to be separated, then don't bring them across the border illegally."

The Impact: Since Trump implemented the administration’s zero-tolerance policy to illegal migrants or asylum seekers caught crossing the border between Mexico and the United States, the US government has separated at least 2,000 children from parents at the border, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday. It has long been a misdemeanor federal offense to be caught illegally entering the country, punishable by up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine. But previous US administrations generally didn't refer everyone caught for prosecution.

Why do we care? Well, if you're concerned about border security, it overwhelms the courts and US attorneys' offices with low-level crimes that make it difficult to use resources to go after serious and dangerous crime, like drug smuggling and cartels. Prosecutions were rare prior to the Trump administration, partly because they cost a lot of money and were time-consuming.

If you're a human being, then separating young children from their families is tantamount to cruel and unusual punishment for a crime they are innocent of! Previous administrations felt the broad use of the 'prosecute-first' option was needlessly harsh. The United Nations convention "specifically states asylum seekers should not be criminally prosecuted for entering without documentation because those fleeing persecution often do not have time/ability to get proper authorization before they are forced to flee." The United Nations human rights office has also called for an end to the Trump administration’s practice that separates children and parents, saying that using immigration detention and family separation "as a deterrent runs counter to human rights standards and principles."

Is this really the country we've fought for, worked for, taken pride in?

I leave you with a final thought: "Anyone with a heart, with a family, has experienced loss. No one escapes unscathed. Every story of separation is different, but I think we all understand that basic, wrenching emotion that comes from saying goodbye, not knowing if we'll see that person again - or perhaps knowing that we won't." ~ Luanne Rice