Campaign Action
Thursday, November 8, marks 105 days since a federal judge’s reunification deadline, yet dozens of migrant children kidnapped from the arms of parents at the southern border continue to remain separated from their families, according to the most recently available numbers from the Trump administration.
Of these children, tweeted MSNBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff, the parents of 33 have already been deported. But even kids who are being moved for reunification continue to be traumatized. Last month, officials returned a 4 year old to her home country without first informing her parents. This is government-sanctioned child abuse, and it’s fallen off the front pages in favor of a manufactured crisis that has, suddenly, also fallen off the front pages. Gee, wonder what changed in the last few days.
There is still a crisis, but it’s the 47 kids who continue to remain separated. It’s the 1,500 unaccompanied migrant children being held in a Texas prison camp that could hold as many as 4,000 kids by the end of the year. It’s the government-contracted child detention facilities that have failed to properly vet the employees charged with caring for migrant kids.
This week’s Democratic sweep of the House of Representatives could finally mean answers. Though Republicans will no doubt challenge them, Democrats will have increased power to investigate this crisis, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen should be the first hauled in front of Congress for her role in state-sanctioned kidnapping, which she has repeatedly and shamelessly lied about.
But any progress on that won’t happen for months, when the new Democratic congress is sworn in. This week we showed up to the polls say that we do care. Now in the meantime, keep talking about the children. Keep fighting.