05 Mar Trump Administration Family Separation Policy
Amongst an array of proposals, ideas and policies that the government has imposed or been trying to implement, the Zero Tolerance policy is one such. President Donald Trump’s government in May 2018 executed this policy which charged adults with a crime for illegally entering the country. The policy states that adults who would cross the border with children would be arrested, isolated from their kids and referred to the US Justice Department for prosecution. In this case, the adults would be allowed to apply for asylum but on the condition that they would be separated from their kids.
However, after suffering colossal criticism, this order was reversed on June 20, 2018. Until then, (between May 5 and June 9) 2,342 children were separated from their parents. After the reversal of the policy, the question was – ‘Did the Zero Tolerance policy come to an end?’ No. The new order did not say that the policy was ended. It merely stated that the administration would thoroughly implement immigration laws and would begin with the proceedings accordingly. This meant that now families would be kept together, but the ‘zero tolerance’ stance was the same.
In August 2018, about two- thirds out of the 497 minors were still in custody. Out of these 22 were “tender-age” children who were below 5 years. Before this policy was implemented, adults who crossed the border unlawfully were arrested. But if anyone had a child with them were not prosecuted. The Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that the bringing along of child acted like an ‘immunity’ and he wanted to end this practice. The least punishment given to such illegal immigrants is that they are charged with ‘illegal entry.’ This is a federal misdemeanor (minor wrongdoing) which can lead to fines and up to six months behind bars.
Out of 80,232 people surveyed in the US, 19 % say NO to the separation of children from illegally immigrated parents while 81 % say YES. The people in the support say that this would allow officials to check whether the children are being trafficked. Some strongly said that criminals do not deserve any special treatment. The people against it said that families need to be kept together during prosecution. Or instead, deport them and their kids immediately, they said. A few people believe that there should be a more natural way for immigrants to lawfully enter the US.
The loss that a child at such a tender age would suffer can prove to be a heavy one. The government says that it provides ‘tender age’ shelter for the kids to be kept safe and taken care of. This provides ‘specialized facilities’ to take care of children with special needs and ‘tender age’ children below 13 years.
However, forcibly separating children from their parents increases the risk of mental disorders. This may vary from post-traumatic stress disorders, uneasiness, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and conduct problems. Epidemiological data reveals that about 30 percent of mental health disorders in any person is somehow related to childhood adversity. This highlights the significant influence of early trauma on human health.
We all are morally aware that parents are essential for young children’s survival. The warmth, care, love, access to nutrition and shelter that parents provide to a child has no equal. The importance of responsibility and a healthy mental and physical development conditions given by parents to the child is the reason for close parent-child relation. Several years of research has shown that disturbances in stable and healthy caregiving may lead to risks to the child’s well- being. An unhealthy childhood going through fear, trauma or mental stress is subject to give an indecent life to the child growing up as an adult. What needs to be emphasized here is that the government needs to mindfully calibrate the ways to deal with illegal immigrants. The national security and the likely threat due to illegal immigrants are measurable. But the cost of a nation’s security must not be paid by an innocent child by getting isolated from parents.
Timothy Gillis
Posted at 19:25h, 27 MayRegardless of who is writing about this issue, there is a tremendous amount of intellectual dishonesty in the articles that I read. First of all, this is not a “Trump administration family separation policy.” This policy was also in effect during the Obama and Bush 43 administrations. The reason the children are being separated from the adults is that a progressive, left-leaning judge decreed that the children could not be held in custody longer than a certain period of time. Second of all, simply releasing these people into our country is insanity. The salient fact that many people choose to ignore in all of this debate is that the people who cross our border illegally have committed a crime, and they are criminals. I understand that the children are pawns in all of this – they had no choice when their parents illegally crossed the border. Still, the fact that these people have children should not exempt them from prosecution. American citizens who have children are arrested every day in this country and incarcerated and prosecuted. Nobody seems to be concerned about the effect on those AMERICAN children. Our county already has a process in place for legal immigration. Anyone who attempts to skirt that process and enter illegally should not be allowed to stay in the country. As a sovereign nation we have a right and a duty to secure our borders. All of the crocodile tears and emotional manipulation being done on behalf of the families of these illegal immigrants is a clever smoke screen to keep people from looking at the real issues. Yes, compassion for the children has a place in all of this, but let’s have compassion for American children as well, and put America First. There is nothing wrong with that.