This article shed light on a highly controversal topic that has caused fights between friends and families. Whether you are for letting immigrants into America or keeping immigrants from crossing the border, people should remember to have a little more empathy for each other. Families should not be seperated. Even if they are in detention centers or on one side of the border or the other, families should be kept together. People should imagine themselves in another persons shoes. Separating children of all ages from their parents is very unhealthy, traumatic and harmful in every way.
21
@Grace: and I agree.
Unite families IF THEY AGREE to immediately return to their native homeland.
Otherwise, they have broken the law and are criminals and must suffer the consequences.
"Catch and release" is not acceptable and IT WILL STOP.
10
Reunite illegal immigrant families in their countries of origin.
There are American citizens in need.
23
Zero illegal border crossing = zero family separation. Simple math.
8
I felt sickened listening to Democratic candidate after Democratic candidate say, "When I am president, I ...." No, people, some of you are our representatives and in positions of power now! What are you waiting for? You should be speaking out and acting against the abominable behavior by our US government every single day. Children and families are dying, either quickly or by slow death, body and soul.
Some of you are speaking out, some of you have taken action. Thank you - I support you - but please don't phrase it this way - as something that requires an election before we find our humanity.
4
We reunite them and then deport them back to the country of origin. The sham that they are perpetrating is to enter the country illegally or under the false claim of asylum. UN directives allow asylum claims to be tendered when they entire the first country upon fleeing theirs. For most this would be Mexico. Asylum cannot be claimed if the basis is crime in their native country, and yet this is what most claim. The failure of the governments to provide safety is not a basis for a claim.
Many entering are using children not their own, which is why so many are in custody away from family. Their family is still back in Central America and have been paid for the use of their child.
The problem is the flood of people fleeing democratically elected governments, not Communism. The Dems have exploited this illegal flood of people and Progressive groups have traveled to this same regions to encourage this mass migration and to train them what to say.
Finally, the DHS has reported that 90% of the people and families released do not make their future court appearances. What a shock. This is why arrest warrants need to be issued, the people located and deported.
The crisis on our border is the result of the Dems pure and simple and they have put our country and the lives of Americans at risk to play political theater.
8
Like several other posters here, I thought this article would provide some specific ways to support these families. Please consider either adding such information as an addendum (preferably), or changing the headline of this piece.
6
The majority of these illegal aliens are entering the USA for jobs. They do not qualify for asylum. I will not support law breakers. The children, regrettably, are being utilized as tools to further their illegal entry. Charitable donations should be made to assist Americans that are presently suffering in the USA, not illegal aliens. Our tax dollars are now being utilized to assist in making conditions at the border better for these law breakers. That is enough.
7
Perhaps we need to understand more about compassion. No matter what form it takes, it never ends.
5
Hmmm...so let me get this straight. We are paying a president to detain asylum seekers inhumanely, and the answer is for us to donate our money to pay their bond? While I applaud the effort to do SOMETHING to stop this madness, it seems like we shouldn't have to pay out of our pockets to protect people being harmed by our President. The answer is to stop the policy. Not encourage it.
4
I'm glad people care so much about illegal immigrants and so called asylum seekers, but I wish they would care more about actual US citizens.
9
I would like to remind most of the Nationalists who have commented here with a lack of basic human compassion , that this Immigration wave is due to the U.S. decreasing and cutting off completely monetary aid and military support to these countries. The entire International community is at fault for failing to foster humanitarianism around the world with funding and aid but some Countries cut off aid so they can fund wars, sell weapons and leave their own citizens to struggle while global turmoil goes on. The current Administrations inhumane and cruel policies are hurting Americans and Immigrants, so wake up to the fact that we are all human, have the same color blood, and are all deserving of basic human rights, and especially Children.
14
As a very active member with the Samaritans of Green Valley, Arizona I can tell you that the majority of the people fleeing from the Northern Triangle ( El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) are doing this to save their own life and the lives of their family. I have spent time with so many migrants in Nogales, Mexico for the past eight years and know for a fact that many have lived through horrific experiences in their home countries. If they return to their countries of origin they will be killed. They have witnessed friends and family killed .
I must ask many people: What would you do if your only choice was certain death in your homeland or fleeing to the USA?
19
@Rita Danks
So ALL of Guatemala is too dangerous eh?
They can't move to Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Belize, Panama, Mexico, Colombia?
They can't do like African-Americans and fight to overcome oppression in their own country?
Asylum law does not recognize criminal violence or domestic violence as legitimate reasons to grant asylum.
5
@Lilo
First of all it is very expensive to move to the countries you listed, and most do not have the funds. Those that are rich can relocate easily. On a salary of $2-$5 this is not possible. Not to mention obtaining a visa, which is almost impossible when you are poor.
The corruption permeates every aspect of life there. Many must pay huge sums of extortion to survive. If they do not pay, they are murdered.
It may be hard for you to understand, but these countries do not operate like the USA. Corruption includes police, politicians, military police, wealthy corporations, large landowners, gangs, cartels, and mafia.
If you want to know more about the situation so some research into the current situation and the political history of these countries. That would probably help you understand, especially since you probably have not lived in any of these countries.
5
I will not volunteer ONE DIME to support or bail out an unwanted immigrant in this country until every state has eliminated the Medicaid gap and has provided affordable healthcare for every citizen and every state makes safe housing for every homeless American citizen who wants it available. Period.
18
@MrsEichner
And what exactly are you doing to try to get that accomplished?
5
What horrible cold hearted psycho babble I have read here!
These kids are here now. They need care. Now.
It's our job as Americans to provide care for them, reunite them with their families and let a judge decide if they stay or go back. Period.
So many commenters here would rather just cut the kids off, put them on a bus, send them just over the Southern Border and say adios. Good luck, kid. Sorry we sent you starved, dirty, lice ridden, traumatized and separated from your parents.
Sorry.
But Trump thinks since you're Hispanic you have no worth until he needs you to work in one of his golf resorts.
Some of you are really stingy with "your" America and "your" dollars. You are so worried that someone might need a little help and take some of "your" territory. Disgusting.
28
@Kate
How many?
The world has billions of desperately poor people.
How many do you say we should let in?
Come on now.
What's your number?
And then keep out the rest.
No exceptions.
No number?
Open borders?
2
Yes, by all means, keep the families of the illegal aliens together and south of our border. When you follow all the rules to come to The United States legally, you will be welcome. Until then, stay out and quit creating trauma for your kids and trouble and expense for us. Yes, this problem is YOUR fault, "undocumented" trespassers.
20
First daughter Ivanka Trump is WH point person on human trafficking. A president who cared about this country would think that appointment ill advised. USnited States withdrew from U N Human Rights Council when interest was expressed in sending human rights monitors to our borders. Call them out on their policies. Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121; White House Comments 202-456-1111.
5
Please advise on how we can help reunite them with their country of origin.
19
Ms. Sullivan:
I don't want to help folks that came here illegally. I want our govt to deport them now.
18
The illegal immigrant parents who bring their own children or rent children to gain access to America and its services are criminal in my mind. Where is the justice for the drowned little girl trying to cross into the US? Did she have a choice?
16
I recommend Together Rising to donate to advocacy services for these immigrant children.
Trump and the GOP lack compassion, and are creating tomorrow’s great domestic and international security risk when these innocent children are traumatized now and have negative experiences of America.
Wake up Dems. Disunity including by lefty AOC and others just funded more terror against kids with no protections. There is one goal: vote GOP out.
7
@Ihavea23montholdtoo
Thank you for your post. I want to help, but it wasn't clear from this article how I can help. Please give me explicit links to how I can do something, anything.
Trump and his followers have destroyed the Republican party. What happened to being fiscally conservative? He's spending more money than Obama ever did, with no way to pay for it. What about morals? This man has been accused by dozens of women of sexual assault. They are separating children from their parents. How can "religious" people square their beliefs with this administration's actions?
10
Children belong with their parents.
And parents not authorized to be in the USA
belong outside the USA.
They can leave any time they want --
-- together --
straight back to the other side of the border.
As for so-called "asylum-seekers",
they have a right to seek asylum.
But they do not have a right to have it granted.
They must prove their claim.
And, unless and until their claim is granted,
they can be -- and ought to be -- detained -- 24/7 --
with their children.
And when their claims are denied --
or they fail to pursue it --
--as is usually the case --
they can be -- and ought to be -- deported --pronto --
direct from detention.
And, btw,
no right to "asylum" from "poverty",
nor from "domestic violence",
nor from "gang violence".
19
Gang violence is something that you want protection from, and you want it now. You want the police to protect you and yours, yet you would deny asylum to people who seek protection here.
You should someday find yourself running from the wolves, alone with your family, and realize you absolutely have no where to go.
1
I will gladly help reunite these families in away I can. In their home countries not the US that they illegally entered
16
There is something "off" with the comments. I don't come to the NYT just to hear liberal voices, but the amount of anti-immigrant comments is very high. This sounds like a targeted campaign.
29
@Sandy
Your comment has struck a nerve with me. I think you are right -- something is "off" with the comments. I have never read anything like what I am reading here. I wonder if Ms. Sullivan's work has been targeted from somewhere and people have been sent here to respond. Breaks your heart to read that good works on behalf of children and families can generate such horrible comments.
4
Yep this sounds like brigading, especially given the near-identical content and talking points. Although to be fair, “brigading” can sometimes be a term for pressure campaigns I disagree with...which just means conscientious people like us and the author of this piece need to speak out all the louder.
3
We should stay outraged until all illegal immigrants are returned to their countries.
17
"We should stay outraged until all children are back with their parents and family separation is abolished."
OK. But then back to where ever you came from to the US illegally. We have enough poor American families that need to be taken care off.
13
The comments sicken me. But I shouldn’t be surprised by the heartlessness of some Americans who sit in their comfortable chairs eating good meals, sleeping comfortably.
You have no idea how desperate and poor these families are—and you don’t care.
Please do not tell me this is a “Christian “ nation
17
Donate to Annunciation House in El Paso/Juarez. It takes in thousands of asylum seekers every month. https://annunciationhouse.org/financial-donations/
4
How nice. Too bad you don't decide to direct your humanitarian efforts toward your fellow American citizens who are homeless. They would definitely like your help. I'm sure they would appreciate your ongoing support with housing, legal representation, groceries, etc. I am "outraged" that these charitable resources are not being applied to the homeless Americans sleeping on the streets.
And the children factor should not matter. Is a person only deserving of the kindness of strangers if s/he has a child?
Well...apparently that is the case. Because being a homeless American (& quite possibly a veteran) doesn't qualify.
21
They can reunite and live happily ever after on the other side of the border.
18
Absolutely families should be reunited. And sent back to their home countries. Overwhelmingly they do not qualify for asylum and are gamiing our unprepared system.
18
"We should stay outraged until all children are back with their parents and family separation is abolished."
I'm outraged that my country is being invaded.
I'm outraged and the legislative branch does not care to act.
I'm outraged that our President is stymied at every turn by the courts when he performs his duties.
I'm outraged martial law has not been declared.
I'm outraged illegal aliens are not deported at the time and place of apprehension.
In recent days, heartbreaking news reports and photographs"
I'm outraged illegals kill Americans and I don't see pictures of the victims in the NYT.
"...this time last year, I watched in horror as details of family separation emerged: Children in cages, audio recordings of detained children sobbing, begging to call their relatives,..."
I'm outraged when sanctuary governments place the lives of illegals over and above the citizens than live AND VOTE in those communities.
I'm outraged there are thousands of homeless Americans in LA and California has so much extra money, California is paying for healthcare for illegals.
Yeah, I'd say I'm outraged.
19
If there are any gang members in this article, it’s Tucker and his gang leader. They always pick on the most vulnerable; not an ounce of humanity. Gang leaders lie, abuse, torture, as they look for blessings from their groupies.
Meanwhile they send our youth overseas to go after their foreign enemy clones. I used to defend America when abroad. No more.
2
I urge a full sized class action law suit for each and ever one of these children who have been separated from family and negligence is the fault of inaccurate records or no record at all.
This law suit should be for Donald J. Trump to adequately provide funding for the child future through college. Lets estimate $1,350,000.00 per child. His multi-billion piggy bank shouldn't have problem, and maybe Mr trump could learn what it's really like to be down and out.
1
How does being outraged help. Action is the only way to help. As a previous NYT editorial suggested, 1. contact one's elected officials, 2. Give donations to orgs. who are provided legal and humanitarian assistance, 3 hold politicians in account through the ballot box, 4. help inform others in the community about their rights, and 5. protest and other ways of speaking out. And if these efforts do not work, then perhaps daily protesting throughout the day, which would result in many non-essential workers out of work for a time, thus slowing down the economy. This is the fight for our humanity. For our country. Fights like these are very hard and requires sacrifice (of our time and money) in order to win. Of course, that's if it means that much to you. But never tell anyone to be outraged. Tell them to do something about it.
47
@Aimee Pollack-Baker The "public outcry" is being heard. I agree we should do all the things you suggest but it also helps to post on FB if you have hundreds of friends there like a lot of people do, and to post on other websites as well.
1
@Aimee Pollack-Baker @Aimee Pollack-Baker I hope you are aware of the group that the author works with, Immigrant Families Together, look them up, (they have facebook pages) they are represented regionally. They have done an astounding job of reuniting families; a REMARKABLE group: driving parents to kids, kids to parents, across the country! She writes this letter to be encouraging. They raise bail, organize legal help and lawyers.... etc.... They have amazon pages where you can purchase needed items such as socks and underwear that go directly to families in need. Started by women, everyday people, now heroes, who stepped up from day one making a difference and saving lives. She’s saying “Lets keep at it!” I am in awe of her and all that Immigrant Families Together has become, a national network. Outrage is just one emotion that fuels their work and many other’s. If you are looking for places to contribute Immigrant Families Together is a good place to start.
1
The U S should follow the “best interests of the child” standard & immediately stop the practice of forced separation. U.S. policy shouldn't traumatize children, especially not as a form of indirect punishment of their parents. The intentional infliction of pain on kids & their families is inhumane. The best solution is to reunite all now separated families without delay and keep families together in community-based settings while their asylum/immigration proceedings are pending. At least 2,400 immigrant family separations have occurred at the border since late 2016, and that number is rapidly increasing with Trump's policy of prosecution
Wrongheaded U.S. policy places kids in jails, cages, tents, foster homes, etc.& is not better care . Studies of refugee children in foster care have shown that children fare worse when placed in foster families than when cared for by their parents. Previous U.S. administrations have created policies & laws making their inhuman treatment of human beings legal, contributing to our shameful history of discrimination, racism, enslavement, & genocide in our culture and that of Western Civilization.
Separating children from parents at the border and severing parent-child bonds is an act of psychological, emotional and social harm/abuse. It is inhumane and the people who have developed and implemented this policy will eventually be found guilty of significant violation of human rights.
144
@F.Douglas Stephenson, LCSW, BCD
Amen brother. Who doesn't get this?
14
The best interests are not necessarily in the US.
9
@Sarah Shannon. A shocking number of people posting here don't get it.
3
The asylum process was never meant to accommodate the 10s of thousands of people we are seeing at the border now. the populations of the Central American countries have increased by 4-6 x since the 50s and these countries will never have economies that can deal with these numbers and we are going to be over whelmed. The fact that they are traveling thru countries that do not have our social welfare system to get to the U.S. and it's generous benefits means the majority are economic refugees. We should keep the families together and deport them as a unit back to thier home countries. They can then apply from there or perhaps Mexico. Our asylum and immigration laws need to be rewritten to reflect the 21st century and the 10s of millions of potential immigrants that the present system clearly never anticipated. Moving all the worlds unhappy, unemployed people that wish to come here is simply not an option anymore. We can and should help these countries solve their problems at home starting with security, sustainable economies and family planning help, but moving them here is not a viable option.
39
@Al Please describe the "generous benefits" we receive in the US because there are many people across this country (and Idaho) who could use just some of these "generous benefits."
9
@Al
Perhaps you are not aware that the people trying to enter the US come from countries that we have tried to control both politically and economically - much to their ruin. "Help these countries solve their problems" indeed, because our meddling has lead to this. Adding to the toxic mix are the threats of the current administration which have prompted much of the panic to get to the US before the door slams shut. short-term and long-term our government has created the problem that it refuses to fix.
10
@There
True
The crisis at the border is caused by a bad process.
We simply need to have all asylum requests made at the US consulate in the home country and not allow asylum claims to be made at the US border.
This will stop people from walking thousands of miles and dying on the way and the US can't handle the shear numbers at the border.
It will only get worse.
Fix the process.
38
@Peter What about people who are afraid to stay in their home country, who are fleeing gang violence or other persecution? They have to remain in their home countries during the process? What about people who are afraid to enter the US Embassy or Consulate in their home country for fear of retribution? American embassies and consulates are bugged and surveilled in many countries, and there can be serious repercussions for people who try to enter. International treaties, of which the US is a signatory and international law would have to be changed. I have done many asylum cases as a pro bono attorney, and many people are fleeing unspeakable horrors that you can not imagine.
21
@jfdenver. So you're saying when a 100,000 people show up every month at the border we just have to let them go in the U.S.? Maybe the immigration lawyers lobby wants this, but no one else does.
19
@Peter, with all due respect, it is clear that you are unaware of or are ignoring the fact that the vast majority of migrants wanting to enter the US are fleeing unspeakable violence and grinding poverty in their own countries. Otherwise, few if any of them would be willing to make the treacherous journey north, especially with small children. Places like El Salvador, Guatamala etc., are breeding grounds for violence forcing thousands to seek safety and a better life in the US. The least this country can and should do is keep families together and treat them with kindness and compassion. Otherwise, well...we have already seen how the morally bankrupt Trump administration is handling it, and process or no process, that children are being kept in wretched conditions separated from their parents is something I never thought I would see in my country.
6
How many of these children are “unaccompanied” and have been loaned out to non family members to increase that person’s chance of making it to the U.S.? How many family members are unsuitable for custody? I have to question the parental fitness of someone who takes children on an extremely dangerous journey, putting them at risk of assault, illness, accidental death or other perils, particularly if the parents are economic migrants who don’t qualify for asylum. Yes, most of these kids should be reunited with their parents or suitable family members and then deported. Others should be in foster care. Yes, the physical conditions some kids are being kept in are completely unacceptable. No, they should not all get to stay. Congress should provide adequate funding for these facilities and for the needed staff and supplies.
33
@Bookworm8571 You "question the parental fitness" of these immigrants. What they are fleeing from must be more dangerous or hopeless or desperate than the journey that they undertake. Their actions are the epitome of what it means to be a parent -to protect your children at all costs, to remove them from harms' way, to give them a fighting chance. The parents of the children that are locked up at the border succeeded in protecting and providing for their children. It is our government that is endangering them now.
33
@Sandy Economic migrants do not qualify for asylum. The parents of the poor baby who drowned with her dad this week did not qualify. Yet they dragged this tiny child along on a fruitless quest when they might have left her behind with her grandmother, ignored established procedure for applying for asylum and tried to cross the Rio Grande. Yes, it is a tragedy and I am very, very sorry they died. But this was also child endangerment. Most of these people are simply very poor. So are an awful lot of Americans who aren’t getting help or attention from the New York Times. The U.S. is entitled to set immigration policy and defend its borders.
18
These are poor desperate people. Go and see for yourself.
7
Just as the internment of the Japanese-Americans is now a stain in the American history, so too will future generations look back at this Administration's policy of family separation with a feeling of disgust. The American government, at some point in the future, will be rightfully asked to pay reparations to the victimes of this Administration's so-called zero tolerance.
26
Why does no one ever talk about getting rid of the criminal gangs in Central America who are causing this problem? For example if the government in El Salvador needs help handling this problem, I'm all for helping them. If the government in El Salvador is either unable or unwilling to solve this problem, then it's time for a new government in El Salvador--regardless of whether the old government likes it or not.
If someone wants to call me a racist or imperialist for saying that, go ahead. But there's absolutely no excuse for letting criminal gangs run rampant terrorizing people. None.
(And no, all of Central America's problems aren't because of US government intervention or some elaborate CIA conspiracy. There's no way you can tell me that governments in Central America can't handle organized, violent street gangs because of some CIA backed coup that took place decades ago.)
I think we should basically deliver the governments in Central America an ultimatum: If things aren't a mess down there, then the refugees should be sent back. If things are a mess and you need help cleaning it up, we can help you do it. If you won't clean up the mess, we are going to come down there and clean it up for you.
7
@John Chenango
How well did US intervention work out in Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan?
In Afghanistan, almost twenty years later, with all of our military might, with bunker buster bombs, cruise missiles, night vision, satellite tracking, stealth helicopters, B-52's, etc we STILL can't defeat a ragtag group of nutjob goat herders armed primarily with rifles and rocket launchers.
And you think that invading countries to "help" their residents is going to work any better in Central America?
3
Bear in mind that the collapse of governments in Central America is the direct result of America’s insatiable appetite for drugs.
There is a refugee crisis from a chaos fueled by US dollars.
This is the true root of the problem
5
Anything legal to reunite kids and get them out of the cages should be supported.
I personally want to see the leaders, elites, wealthy and upper middle class of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador sanctioned. They should be prohibited from visiting, conducting business or sending their kids to school in the USA until their countries stop the racist policies against the Mayan Indigenous.
Those right wing leaders have forced people from land to grow cash crops, embezzle aid money and destroy the rule of law. Their austerity budgets spend nothing on poverty.
What is their responsibility? Those countries need an intervention.
7
I am appalled by the tone of many of the comments. These people are desperate; they are fleeing unspeakable horrors and violence in their home countries and many of these comments express no compassion or empathy. The asylum laws were enacted after WWII so that crises such as extermination of peoples would not happen. The US and most countries turned a blind eye to the problems facing Jews in Europe and 6 million people died. The international community came together and created a system by which people fleeing persecution would have alternatives. Why did your ancestors come here? Many Americans came here fleeing religious or ethnic persecution, or famine, or war or violence. I am ashamed of the attitudes expressed here. I am not for open borders, but we need a better, more humane system.
59
@jfdenver
Asylum laws do not allow asylum for domestic violence or criminal gangs or welfare rent seeking or economic reasons.
The US already takes in a million legal immigrants a year, most of them from Asia or Latin America. That's more than enough.
The system is fine. The problem is too many people are trying to get in, apparently because they have been unable or unwilling to successfully agitate for change in their own countries.
12
@Lilo-Not sure about your numbers but look at U.S. actions that create refugees. Our invasion of Iraq sent 2 million people fleeing the country to neighboring countries. Our support of Saudi Arabia is risking the collapse of Yemen. Trump sanctions against Venezuela have sent starving people to Columbia. Trump cuts off aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador--which can only ratchet up the unrest and cause more people to flee.
7
@Lilo
"they have been unable or unwilling to successfully agitate for change in their own countries."
because their own countries are flooded with guns smuggled south from the US and gang violence due to drugs bought in the US. These problems have to be addressed on our side of the border. In the meantime, try to show some compassion for devoted parents who are struggling to rescue their children from difficult circumstances not of their own creation and out of their poor power to change.
1
Thank you for this information, I donated to contribute a drop in the bucket to stop this humanitarian crisis. For those here implying that means I care more about immigrants than US citizens you are wrong. As a taxpaying and voting American I contribute to the social safety net here everyday, and when offered the opportunity I vote to increase taxation so I can contribute more. How do those of you who support Trump and Rebulican policies reconcile your concern with struggling Americans with your support of politicians who seek to eviscerate programs supporting them?
8
There's another group of children suffering family separation because of US immigration policies. These other children get no public attention, yet their suffering is just as great emotionally and sometimes even physically. And they are US citizens.
These children have at least one parent who is undocumented and has been ordered removed from the US.
If they have a US citizen parent, they often remain in the US, suffering the emotional consequences of being separated from their undocumented parent and often suffering the financial consequences too. Typically, the departure of the undocumented parent means household income drops by 50% or more, forcing the children into poverty and a far less secure home environment.
Some will leave the US with their deported parent. They go to a country where they know nobody other than their parent(s), where they are not fluent in the language of that country, where they struggle academically because the schools do not have bilingual education, and where their parents struggle to find living wages and the government does not provide public benefits. If they are very young, they quickly lose their English language skills, putting them at disadvantage should they ever return to the US.
Are their undocumented parent(s) heinous criminals? Typically, no. Most have been here more than 10 years. Ending family separation also means path to citizenship for them.
P.S. Their undocumented parent needs bond too.
13
@Sarah B
They are the responsibility of their parents.
They belong with their parents.
If the parents belong outside the USA,
they belong with their parents outside the USA.
However "innocent" they might be,
they are not a ticket for their parents to stay here.
If they cannot care for themselves here,
then the supposedly "compassionate" people posting here can step up and care for them,
or help find someone else who will voluntarily care for them.
If no one can be found,
then the government can find foster care for them,
just like for any other child whose parents are absent.
But, in any case, they are not a ticket for their parents to stay here.
7
There are several thousand immigrant children separated from their families. There are half a million foster children similarly separated. The injustices in Child Protective Services far outnumber those in our immigration system. And it is widely known that black parents disproportionately are separated from their kids. Moreover, family members who are willing to take in grandchildren, nephews and nieces are frequently denied that right.
So why do poor American kids who are unfairly separated get so little attention when compared to El Salvadorans? You've got me.
26
@michjas As a foster parent I can attest to many of the wrong's done in the foster care system. However, removing immigrant children escaping from war and poverty from their loving parents and putting them into the very overcrowded foster care system will do nothing but cause more harm.
2
@michjas
They may have problems, but they aren’t sleeping in the floor in filth in order to punish their parents.
@Ann Kane
Then put them with their parents --
all together -- outside the USA.
However "innocent",
they are not a ticket for their parents to stay here.
Whether these children should or shouldn’t be here, why they are here, how to stop more of them from being here, who they arrived with and how they got here, all of these things are good questions but they are beside the immediate point:
Either one believes it is acceptable to treat these human children worse than animals, or one believes they are less than human.
14
@Di
You know the problem is going to be worse next month, and even worse the next month...it will get even worse in 2010...in 2021...in 2022...in 2023.
I just want you to be ready for the horrow stories.
Unless.....we fix the problem.
Simply make people apply for asylum at the US consulate in their country and do not allow asylum claims at the US border.
This will allow the immigrants to avoid the long horrific journey that kills kids.
9
In fact I argue that Americans should do everything in their power to deter illegal immigration and migrants abusing asylum law to game the system. What is going at the southern border where close to 200,000 migrants are coming in every month is unsustainable and unfair to the those who are patiently waiting in line for legal route to immigration. Trump should make illegal immigration and democratic candidates' abdication of responsibility to US border protection and immigration law enforcement a center piece of his re-election campaign.
24
@Observer You cannot determine who is abusing the system and who has a legitimate claim until the person is interviewed. Asylum is a legal route. More people are here from having overstayed their visas than are crossing the southern border illegally.
13
@jfdenver
First make all asylum seekers apply at the US consulate in their country or a neighboring country.
Why force someone to walk thousands of miles??
THis is an easy soltuin to a bad process.
13
@jfdenver. That doesn't make the numbers at the border any less over whelming. Please feel free to pay extra taxes to pay for the army of judges and services that this human wave are going to require. Many tax payers would prefer these people be sent home and those funds spent on needs here in the U.S.
12
I am deeply saddened by the obvious heartlessness of many of the posters here.
These are children you are talking about, not animals.
Regardless of your political affiliation, no matter how much you love President Trump and your tax cuts, no matter how much you want to see a different immigration policy, please do not let Trump and Fox News rob you of your basic humanity.
No matter how they got here or why, show some basic compassion. These are children.
146
@avrds Unfortunately, if the article were discussing mistreated puppies, the response would be very different. But I do not think it is an either/or situation. We should not be callous towards puppies or children or frankly the adults who flee. If my family was facing unrelenting violence and threats of death or rape, I'd probably try to flee as well. And I would NEVER leave my children to face such dangers alone. These families feel the same - they did not leave their children behind. And they do not deserve to be treated this way.
I've heard so many people and politicians say "this is not who we are". I think it is exactly "who we are". The people who formulated these policies did not get their power from armed revolution - the people of this country voted them into office. And I'm not just talking about DJT. The United States is not a kind and caring nation.
11
@avrds I am saddened too. I wish I could say I am surprised. The "outrage", the hypocrisy, the callousness is limitless. It is an almost certainty that the "outraged", heartless commenters are US citizens now because a grandparent or great-great grandparent made a similar journey to provide a better future for their families. Now those families are the epitome of the nativist, ugly American.
11
Going to see some friends for Fourth and I’m dreading it. The husband is a Trump supporter and I’ve lost so much affection and respect for him as a result. I fear I may break with him completely if Trump comes up while we are there. Prior to this, it was politics but now it’s a moral issue and one I simply cannot overlook.
Kind of like discovering your friends was a Nazi. Same issue.
9
This is great, but can you provide a link to where I can actually do something about this (i.e., crowdfund bonds)? Otherwise, this is just a feel-good story. Unless I missed something?
34
@Tushar
Agreed. I want to donate as well.
@Tushar
I agree!!! I was looking for some solid information on how to help.
@Tushar The group, Immigrant Families Together, is mentioned four times in this article. Google it.
2
Is there is enough discussion about children being trafficked?
There are parents sending their children with coyotes or sending by themselves.
I remember a few weeks ago reading a NYT story about a man trying to cross the border. He heard that if an adult was accompanied by a child, he was likely to get better treatment.
There was no indication in the story that the child he had with him was actually his.
38
Go and see for yourself. Americans make every excuse to ignore the desperation of these people, who are often fleeing economic turmoil caused by US interference
2
We as Americans are outraged... we are outraged that congress refuses to secure our border... we are outraged that """"migrants"""" are using children as leverage to make it into the U.S., we are outraged that the media seems to care FAR more about non-citizens entering our borders than citizens who are struggling to afford medical care, food, housing all the while these """migrants""" are receiving those off the backs of those same tax paying citizens.
62
How do you feel about the private prison companies making billions in profit from our tax dollars, these companies and contributing millions to Trump’s campaign?
88
@Katherine McGilvray They made just as much money off of Obama's Administration since it was Obama who had these facilities built.
17
@Katheribe You do realize, don't you, that tightening up the border means those companies will lose business? Win-Win.
12
I'm loving all these histrionics using this fun new "children in cages" idiom.
What did they think detention centers are? A fancy resort?
These are the children of criminals who imposed a state of criminality on their children. The parents have proven themselves unfit parents. Are other criminal parents often allowed to keep their kids in the jail cell with them?
36
@asdfj
An American prisoner of war is has a right under the Geneva Convention to a billet and bed; and a cage is a cage, with a cement floor and an aluminum blanket, not an idiom. VP Pence on Sunday admitted that these are families arriving at a legally established border gate to plead for asylum, not criminals sneaking in. Even if a "criminal" joined the caravan, for some reason, the US is fully capable of vetting. Your comment that "these" are criminals is baseless, ill-applied and the result of emotional rationalization, not reasoned judgement.
68
@asdfj seeking asylum is not a criminal act. It is legal. These parents are risking everything for a better life for their children. We are defunding programs in Central America that could assist in development to make life bearable for families. This administration revels in causing pain to families; toying with their well-being. Wake up!
4
@asdfj
When an American citizen commits a felony, they are separated from their children. Unjust?
11
This would hardly be an issue if Hillary were president. She could do the same things and it would be cool.
19
@Grunt. But she wouldn't. She stated in 2016 that basically, an limits on immigration was "unamerican".
4
@Grunt. She wouldn’t do it.
Fine. Strap GPS tracking devices on them (including the children) so we know where they are at all times. Make them identify a sponsor who agrees they'll attend any and all hearings adjudicating their claim for asylum..and if they no show..their sponsor gets fined $10,000 and a year in jail.
We can't build new processing centers just to hold fathers/daughters or mothers/sons or mothers/daughters or fathers/sons or sons without fathers or daughters without mothers.
We'd need 100 facilities and as you heard from AOC today..she doesn't want to spend a dime to help these kids.
24
Nope. Send them home.
8
@Erica Smythe
GPS tracking devices?? -- useless -- can easily be cut off.
"Sponsors"? -- only if "sponsor" guarantees all expenses - including not only housing and food but also all health care, education, clothing, transportation
(without any right to use any government "programs" for any such expenses)
and also guarantees appearance of each migrant (including children) at all government hearings --
all guarantees to be secured by cash deposit --
$200,000 per person -- posted in advance,-- with the U.S. Treasury -- refunded only after all guaranteed expenses have been proven to have been paid and only after earlier of (a) grant of right to stay in the USA or (b) final departure from the USA.
Otherwise -- detention --24/7 -- until earlier or (a) or (b).
1
I totally agree with raz. The only people eligible for asylum in this country are people who are politically persecuted. Coming to our country for economic reasons will not let you become a legal resident. No one disputes that literally 90% of the people coming across the border are coming for economic reasons which is not a legal reason for entry. Because people and Central America and Mexico know that we don't enforce our border because of crazy judicial rulings and laws they come here knowing that legally they shouldn't be admitted but because we don't have enforce our borders they come anyways Reporter on patrol agents fault that now the word has got out that literally anyone can come so now that we have over a 100000 people coming a month and may be at the most 10000 have legal reasons to get in whose fault is it that these people are not being taken care of period The main fault causing this problems is the Democratic Party refusing to change our asylum laws so that they could be reasonably in force at the border the word would quickly get back to Central America that were enforcing our border laws and you can't get in and then the horde would stop coming trying to get across and then we wouldn't have to re unite kids
35
@Jdavid As someone who handles asylum cases as an attorney, I can say that what you say is inaccurate. People qualify for asylum on several different bases. People are admissible if they are subject to persecution on the basis of their gender, religion, political opinion, nationality, ethnicity, etc. You are correct that economics is not one of the criteria. The asylum laws are very complicated and difficult. More people come legally on an airplane and overstay their visas than come across the border. Trump made this crisis by placing limits on the number of people who can apply each day, creating a backlog.
14
@Jdavid: If your views informed the American migrant experience, particularly during the 19th- and early-20th-centuries, most of today's American population wouldn't be here. It was the possibility of the economic betterment of people's lives that gave opportunity to the tens of thousands of Polish, Irish, German, Hungarian, Russian, Lithuanian, Japanese, Chinese...and so many other ethnically and racially diverse peoples, that the U.S. became the country it is today--because of people coming legally to this nation "for economic reasons."
It might be interesting for you to research when, why, and from where your family came to the United States.
3
No reunification in the US, it will simply add a new group of potential "dreamers" for some future administration to have to deal with. Send them home.
30
These families should be reunited, in their home country. That's where we should be helping them. How can we help their countries to improve, so they don't feel the need to run?
Bringing them all here is not the solution. (If some can come, why not all?)
Over half the people in the world live in “poverty” (over 5 billion, 15 times our entire U.S. population, exist on $10 or less per day), and we can’t solve that problem by allowing them to immigrate here. WE HAVE NO OBLIGATION TO OVERPOPULATE OUR COUNTRY, just because other people have already ruined theirs with UNCONTROLLED POPULATION GROWTH.
The path to a solution is going to be long and arduous, and perhaps, impossible. It will be if we don't control populations. That is an essential first step.
The aid we send needs to be more than monetary. These countries need to be educated. Think of all the things required for a stable and healthy nation. Representation, judiciary, education, energy grid, food distribution, housing, jobs/industry, mining, roads, bridges, health care, money!...the list goes on. We should start something like the Peace Corps, but more complex, sending teams to these countries to assist development.
56
@Raz, we are First World, we are as a population - old, we need new Americans to work, pay taxes and carry us into the future. The biggest share of our population were the immigrants 2-3 generations back, who rode the great wave of late nineteenth century need for farmers and factory workers that fueled America’s drive toward Manifest Destiny. Another subset of already arrived immigrants are a Third World folks who have filled the ranks of our military with the Green Card as the ultimate reward forking the possibility of the Ultimate Sacrifice.
My point: Practical as well as moral reasons for a steady, regulated flow of New Americans aka migrants or immigrants.
23
Employers here in Maine cannot find workers so business close. Our population is aging and needs immigrant populations, but without traumatizing them for months. What we are doing to children will damage them for life both emotionally and In Terms of their brain development and chances of being productive citizens. Let’s not buy into ‘ this takes years’. Let’s start by reuniting families so that uncles, aunts, and others can help settle them into productive lives. The first step is to stop this administration from criminalizing parents who try to find a decent life.
39
@Patricia
This is the most common and dangerous fallacy that people come with when they want to make an argument for unmanaged immigration. We don't NEED any more people. Getting a few new immigrants is fun and interesting, but not necessary. If we don't have enough work for the people we have, why do we need more?
Please don't start quoting low unemployment figures. The fact is, people who are lazy and sitting at home, not looking for work, are not included in those statistics. They aren't considered "unemployed".
The Earth is a finite sphere with finite resources. We can't populate it without limit. Population is not a matter of race or racism, just mathematics. If we were to divide all of the land area of the Earth (including Antarctica, Greenland, all the deserts and mountains...), equally, amongst all the people of the Earth, each one of us would get about five acres (an acre is slightly smaller than an NFL football field, not counting the end zones). Now, imagine trying to get all your needs for subsistence from that five acres (food, clothing, shelter & materials, fuel and energy, mining...). If U.S. lands were divided equally amongst its citizens, each would get about 7.4 acres. In India, the number would be about 0.3 acres per person, 1.7 acres for each Chinese.
The future is going to require a new economic paradigm that doesn't rely on population increase to succeed. The Mathematicians and Economists need to get to work.
31
So what can we do - right now? Let us know, please. Many out here who want to help. Maybe here in these comments, please.
20
@Citizen of the Earth - The first step is we have to crack down on our junkies who have given rise to drug cartels. By the way, our own Green Berets trained the fellow who started MS-13 and now they control the drug market in this hemisphere. Our troops in Afghanistan guard the poppy fields which provide the heroin for the other hemisphere.
The second step is to get rid of ALL of the Dems and Repubs who start wars, overthrow governments, and only serve the military industrial complex. Voting for either party in the next election just continues this cycle of selling weapons, stirring up strife, etc. Both parties have had more than enough chances to make things right but neither has any intention.
2
@Citizen of the Earth. Donate to Immigrant Families United. They have a website.
1
@tom harrison, thank you Tom Harrison. Tulsi Gabbard is probably the best choice among Democrats. Rand Paul was the best choice in 2016 (and at least Trump apparently does have an open ear toward him).
Thank you for sharing this information. Readers can simply do an internet search for Immigrant Families Together. The organization has a website explaining the work and allowing us a chance to donate.
30
We should stay outraged at the gross irresponsibility of parents who drag their children through danger in order to sneak across our borders, and at their American supporters who encourage them. Our absurd asylum rules have been abused by millions of economic migrants who are carefully prepped to say the right words when they arrive at the border, knowing they will be released to disappear among the millions already here. These poor people are the victims of corrupt failed states but not of any state-organized persecution, the legal basis for recognizing genuine asylum claims.
Democrats have not given us one single justification for their encouragement of illegal immigration, demonstrating that they care nothing for our own less skilled citizens who have lost their jobs or seen their wages stagnate in the face of competition from illegal immigrants who work for slave wages. One can only conclude that the conservatives are correct: Democrats want unlimited illegals solely in the hopes of more Democratic voters in the future. They crow about changing demographics, quietly ignoring the fact that those are entirely due to decades of illegal immigration and high birth rates among the 'migrants'.
The Dems gave us Trump in 2016 by flouting public opinion on this, and appear determined to reelect him in 2020. Our country and our planet cannot afford four more years of Republican destruction. Democrats, please give us a candidate who listens to the American people.
47
@Someone else
Americans aren’t losing their jobs to immigrants. They’re losing them to other countries and robotics and other technology.
Snd their are Hiring signs everywhere around where I live.
2
@Dottie Beck
"Americans aren’t losing their jobs to immigrants."
What's that you say???
"A group of African-American men filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Chicago federal court alleging systematic discrimination by a temporary staffing agency and several of its clients they say passed over black applicants in favor of Hispanic workers."
"An immigrant-dominated workforce, with language barriers and legal status concerns, is less likely to complain about failure to pay overtime, workplace injuries, wage theft or overwork, according to Williams. He described dozens of white vans that pick people up in the Little Village neighborhood, populated mostly by Mexican immigrants, and drive them to the suburbs for jobs, while black applicants will show up early at the agency office and wait all day before being told there's no work"
https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-discrimination-temporary-staffing-1207-biz-20161206-story.html
2
I am not for putting kids in cages, but I am also not for any parent paying (and in the process supporting) drug traffickers/coyotes who, when they are not transporting children to this country are pouring drugs through our southern border.
36
@Marie Seton
You've been watching too many old movies. The drugs come in in large shipments via the legal ports of entry or via water. No one humps 50 pounds of weed (or even heroin) through the desert. You can't make money if you don't have inventory control - and drugs are big money and big business.
2
As a first gen legal immigrant I want to say we need merit based immigration. If we liberals ever want universal healthcare the first thing we must stop is illegal immigration or not only will the worlds poor be flooding in but the worlds sick as well.
The two is not fiscally compatible.
44
@John
Many immigrants of merit get their education and wealth here and return home. That's great in many ways. Immigration was never meant to create a brain drain from poor countries. If those immigrants choose, they can often help their countrymen, thereby reducing the need for emigration to the US. If they don't make that choice, they join the upper crust in disastrously unequal societies, reinforcing existing injustice.
What you don't get as often from "meritorious" immigrants as you get from those who truly need asylum is loyalty to the US. Historically, immigrants, even those treated badly when they get here, are the most patriotic and reliable citizens. That's still true. They love America because they were accepted, they had opportunities, regardless of how hard-won. Their children are better off and safer than they would have been where they came from. They are dedicated Americans. We need them as much as they need us.
13
@Loucie - I have to disagree with your concept of loyalty. My local grocery store has a sign in Spanish that one can send money to Central America there. So, they come here, work, and send the dollars to another country rather than into our economy.
15
@John, Trump presented a merit based immigration reform plan a few months ago and Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats unfortunately declared it "dead on arrival" and have refused to even debate it or consider it.
Same thing in January and February of 2018 when Trump tried to re-introduce the recommendations of President Clinton's Bipartisan Commission on Immigration Reform, led by African-American, Democratic Congresswoman and civil rights icon Barbara Jordan. Democrats flatly refused to support any of the merit-based changes that had been encouraged by Barbara Jordan, such as chain migration reform and elimination of the diversity visa lottery.
6
Why do I have to help? Why do I have to pay?
How about the wealthy elitists who reside in the "Northern Triangle" ? - They have amassed generational fortunes, educated their children in the US and Europe -- they have tons of cash. How come they aren't helping? How come they aren't sending money to aid to their own people?
32
The wealthy elitists are those who profited off the poor who labored on their coffee fincas, banana plantations, cotton farms, in order to live in unimaginable luxury. They supported the brutal regimes like the Salvadoran army, who committed atrocities like the massacre of the entire village of El Mozote in El Salvador, and the genocide of indigenous Maya in Guatemala by Rios Mont, as did the United States, with billions in military aid. What is needed is a kind of Marshall Plan crafted by the U.S. , Mexico, and other countries in the region to improve economic conditions, reduce violence, repair judicial institutions so that desperate people don’t need to migrate. Of course this administration has cut funding to aid Central America, defunding programs that are actually working.
15
@Edie Clark
Hogwash! We are not talking about politics correct? At least that's what all the liberals say.. We are talking about humanity, respect and dignity for people and families who have traveled thousands of miles to find a better life in the United States.
My question was .. Why aren't the wealthy, Latino elitists of the "Northern Triangle" sending their money to help their own people..?
If they want them to stay in Mexico political limbo or US detention centers- you would think they would be sending money to prolong their stay ...
If the wealthy Latino elites wanted these "political refugees" to return to their homeland- you would think they would send money to fund their return.
My question again... Why my money and not theirs?
3
By all means we should reunite these families. But fleeing poverty and street thuggery are not valid reasons for claiming political asylum in the United States. These families need to be repatriated and we need to help their respectivecountries stabilize.
40
Really...
In a country where the divorce rate sometimes approaches 50% – with a good number of those not amicable – and where children regularly are treated like chattel, hostages, or both, during the proceedings...
PS
For deeper insight into this situation, we could ask how many still-married people are regularly subjected to domestic abuse in the 2020 census...
Or would that be un-American...
8
@W in the Middle
What are you getting at? Because we treat our own children badly it's okay to treat other children badly?
4
PLEASE, PLEASE post a link so that NYT readers can contribute to this urgent cause.
I don't trust anything the Dems agree to w/ Trump. He'll just grab the dough, put more kids in cages, & build his "beautiful, beautiful wall." No-one but his rapidly shrinking base wants that.
14
Go to GoFundMe and enter the name of the organization she wrote about. It’s there.
1
@Rocky Mtn girl
Google Immigrant Families Together.
1
@Rocky Mtn girl many LEGAL Hispanic immigrants support Trump.
6
Economic hardship and street violence are not among the five recognized justifications for asylum. That father who drowned his child along with himself was quite specific. He had a job back home, was clearly not undernourished. Rather, he and his family were seeking a better life; that is well documented.
The outrage generated by that photo should be directed at him; the US border system had no part in it.
How to prevent family separations? Easy. Don't enter illegally.
The fault lies with the migrants, not our enforcement policies. The latter are overwhelmed. Over 140,00 in May alone, 3 times last May's total. The total in the first 4 months of 2019 is now greater than the year's total for 2018 -- indeed, than any year's total ever.
We cannot just turn them lose on the promise that they will return for a court hearing. They won't.
I am as rabidly anti-Trump as any. But this should not be a political issue, as the NYTimes keeps characterizing it. It's a security issue.
51
@Austin Liberal When the message is, "If you get here, you can stay until your court hearing. But, if you don't show up for court, they won't look for you very hard."
If I stood on one side of a busy highway and threw $20 bills in the air, in full view of very desperate people, would I not be responsible for those that were injured? I think, yes.
23
@Austin Liberal The fault does certainly NOT lie with the children separated from their parents and housed in barbaric conditions. Their internment is not a "security issue." It's a human rights travesty.
20
@10034
Where would you house the 140,000+ that were apprehended in May alone?
18
Thanks for this (and for your advocacy), but some links to organizations or an actual guide to how to get started doing this would be helpful. Or even more details on posting bond.
66
@Liz Thanks for posting. Can also go to GoFundMe and find the organization there to donate (as I just did).
2
@JRK a piece by the NYT Editorial Board in the last few days had all sorts of excellent links.
2
@JRK There are a number of reputable organizations providing direct help to immigrants in detention.
ProBAR is right on the Texas-Mexico border, is a project of the American Bar Association, and has a 25-year track record. https://donate.americanbar.org/probar
KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) has offices in many cities. https://supportkind.org/
Justice For Our Neighbors (JFON) has a number of offices. Google for one near you.
RAICES now has offices in five Texas cities. https://www.raicestexas.org
1