Not only have we seen months-old children separated from their parents but these young children are being held in cages. There are numerous reports that these children are imprisoned in unhealthy conditions, not allowed to bathe or brush their teeth, and are receiving inadequate, if any, medical care. Some are actually chained together.
Having separated these children from their parents, our government is now demanding ransom from the parents in order to be reunited with their children. The government is demanding payment for the cost of transporting the children back from the various places around the country that the government has sent them. Yesterday, we learned that our government's new tactic is to essentially extort these separated parents into being voluntarily deported by informing them that they only have two options - be deported with your children or be deported without your children. Of course, all these parents and children have the right to make a valid asylum claim and this new tactic seems like yet another attempt by our government to deny them their due process.
This country was founded by those attempting to escape the tyranny of prejudice and a king. It has been a never-ending fight to live up to our stated ideals and try to form that "more perfect union". What is happening today is not only a giant step backward in that effort but also a enormous stain on our country that will linger long into the future.
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