I had a little trouble feeling patriotic this July 4th, and it’s not just because our president is on the take with Russia. No, I had a real sickness in the pit of my stomach because this happened just one week prior:
ICE confirmed to The Intercept on Tuesday that more than 60 women were moved during [Kirstjen Nielsen’s] visit, though the agency claimed the move was for the purpose of “recreation.”
The DHS Secretary visited the detention center in Los Fresnos, where women were detained who had their children taken from them for the crime of seeking asylum by “improper entry”.
Before I proceed, it’s important to make a note here for those who who still try to justify this practice because the mothers committed a “crime”: this is a misdemeanor offense! There are greater penalties for more serious crimes of shooting off illegal fireworks, mailing dentures, and the unauthorized use of the 4-H emblem.
None of those carry the penalty of losing your children.
Moving on...
The DHS Secretary was going to make two “secret” visits to ICE detention facilities. The ICE officers DID NOT want the parents to talk to Kirstjen. Reporters were also banned from speaking with her. (Why they did this is unclear—it’s not like she would have done anything.)
ICE forcibly rounded up the mothers and moved them to a distant soccer field. Temperatures were in the high 90s on June 29 in Los Fresnos when this occurred.
The parents screamed for help when the DHS Secretary arrived.
They saw a group of roughly 10 people dressed in street clothes, including one "tall woman with shoulder-length, blond hair."
The women shouted "ayúdenos," Spanish for "help us!"
ICE officials, who, like Trump, can tell a whopper of a lie with a straight face, said the screaming mothers were put on the distant soccer field for “recreation” . This was their official statement (emphasis mine):
After coordinating with U.S. Secret Service special agents supporting DHS Secretary Kristjen Nielsen’s June 29 visit to the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, ICE officers briefly moved detainees from one of the dorms to the soccer field for recreation. About 62 ICE detainees were involved; Secretary Nielsen spoke to various detainees while she toured the facility.
As you would expect, that was complete BS:
The women who spoke to The Intercept indicated that Friday’s events were hardly recreational. They said they were kept on the field for two hours, until the visitors left.
What the hell is happening to us as a nation?
How can anyone still support the Trump regime?
I hate these people. I hate their enablers even more.