Horrific Separation Of Children From Parents At U.S. Borders

Unless you are a Native American of totally pure blood, your ancestors were immigrants to the Americas, whether North America, Central America or South America.  My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother (that is seven greats, isn't it?) was a Native American born in what is now the state of Virginia, somewhere in, or near, Henrico County.  But that only makes me one-one thousandth and twenty-fourth (1/1,024) Native American...  so I'm an immigrant.  Very few of my relatives came through Ellis Island, near the Statue of Liberty, in the harbor of New York City, but I was taught to revere that great lady, and to always remember the sonnet written by Emma Lazarus in 1883, as part of a project to raise funds to build the base for the huge gift from France.  The title of the sonnet is "The New Colossus" and it is now on the base of the Statue of Liberty for all to read:
"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
MOTHER OF EXILES.  From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

'Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!' cries she
With silent lips.  'Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!' "

And yet, since April of this year, at the direct orders of President Donald J. Trump, and with the collusion and full backing of adviser Stephen Miller, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and Attorney General Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions, men and women who work at this country's borders are turning away any and all people who are seeking asylum or trying to enter the country without all approved government paperwork.  Many of these people have no choice but to try to enter the country illegally, when they are denied entry at border crossings.  When they are caught by the US Border Patrol, or by agents of  the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), if they have any children with them, those children will be removed and their parents and families may never see them again.
   The White House seems to be divided amid the increasing public outrage over separating children from their parents or guardians at the US borders.  Stephen Miller, a senior policy adviser, is one of the staunch defenders of this decision.  "No nation can have the policy that whole classes of people are immune from immigration law or enforcement.  It was a simple policy decision by the administration to have a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry, period.  The message is that no one is exempt from immigration law," Miller stated.
   Divisions in the White House grow, as the public outrage does.  Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary, has clashed frequently with the President and has considered resigning.  Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, said, "This is not a zero tolerance policy, this is a zero humanity policy, and we can't let it go on."  Former National Security Agency chief Michael Hayden posted on Twitter, " Other governments have separated mothers and children."  The message was accompanied by a photo of the Death Camp at Auschwitz.
   The President shrugs off comments about the policy, but has blamed the Democratic party, and has suggested (on Twitter, of course) that he'll use it as a negotiating piece to get Congress to agree to his demands.  He Tweeted, "Democrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!" 
   New official figures show that almost 2,000 children have been separated from their families during the six weeks ending on May 31.  Recent statistics show that the US is seizing almost 50 children each day  - and the government  doesn't have any place to put them.  They are beginning to set up tent cities in the Southwest, where summer heat is usually over 100 degrees Fahrenheit each day - the children will not be able to survive, in my opinion.
   If you are horrified and want to fight back against the policy od separating families at the border, here is a list of groups to support.  (I am NOT, in any way, affiliated with any of these groups.  They just do fantastic work for those in need.)  This list was compiled by Slate magazine.
 1.  The ACLU  is litigating this policy in California.
 2.  If you are an immigration lawyer, the American Immigration Lawyers Association will be sending around a volunteer list for you to help represent the women and men with their asylum screening, bond hearings, ongoing asylum representation, etc.  Please sign up.
 3.  Al Otro Lado is a binational organization that works to offer legal services to deportees and migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, including deportee parents whose children remain in the U.S.
 4.  CARA  - a consortium of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the American Immigration Council, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, and the American Imigration Lawyers Association  -  provides legal services at family detention centers.
 5.  The Florence Project is an Arizona project offering free legal services to men, women, and unaccompanied children in immigration custody.
 6.  Human Rights First  is a national organization with roots in Houston that needs help from lawyers too.
 7.  Kids in Need of Defense  works to ensure that kids do not appear in immigration court without representation, and to lobby for policies that advocate for children's legal interests.  Donations are welcome.
 8.  The Legal Aid Justice Center  is a Virginia-based center providing unaccompanied minors legal services and representation.
 9.  Pueblo Sin Fronteras  is an organization that provides humanitarian aid and shelter to migrants on their way to the United States.
 10.  RAICES  is the largest immigration nonprofit in Texas offering free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children and families.  You can donate or sign up as a volunteer at their website.
 11.  The Texas Civil Rights Project  is seeking "volunteers who speak Spanish, Mam, Q'eqchi', or K'iche', and have paralegal or legal assistant experience."
 12.  Together Rising  is another Virginia-based organization that  is helping provide legal assistance for 60 migrant children who were separated from their parents and are currently detained in Arizona.
 13.  The Urban Justice Center's Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project  is working to keep families together.
 14.  Women's Refugee Commission advocates for the rights and protection of women, children, and youth fleeing violence and persecution.

This list is not, in any way, comprehensive.  Please investigate means of helping these children and families in your area.

Hug your children and/or grandchildren.

Be grateful that you are not currently dependent on the basic humanity of US policy.

Please call, e-mail, or visit your Congressional representatives

and let them know what you think about this policy!