{"id":593303,"date":"2018-06-18T00:01:43","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T06:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=593303"},"modified":"2018-06-19T14:38:33","modified_gmt":"2018-06-19T20:38:33","slug":"separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/06\/separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Separation of immigrant children from parents ignites moral showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"slides-593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78\" class=\"navis-slideshow\"><div id=\"593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78-slide1\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Tornillo5.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/06\/separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown\/#593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78\/1\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from the tent city at a border crossing in Tornillo, Texas, where immigrant children are being held.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78-slide2\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Tornillo4.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/06\/separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown\/#593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78\/2\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from the tent city at a border crossing in Tornillo, Texas, 89 miles from Las Cruces, where immigrant children are being held, on Sunday. Children are playing soccer, shown here behind a dirt barrier and Porta Potties.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78-slide3\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Tornillo1.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/06\/separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown\/#593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78\/3\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from the tent city at a border crossing in Tornillo, Texas, 89 miles from Las Cruces, where immigrant children are being held, on Sunday.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78-slide4\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Tornillo3.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/06\/separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown\/#593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78\/4\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from the tent city at a border crossing in Tornillo, Texas, 89 miles from Las Cruces, where immigrant children are being held.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78-slide5\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Tornillo2.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/06\/separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown\/#593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78\/5\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from the tent city at a border crossing in Tornillo, Texas, 89 miles from Las Cruces, where immigrant children are being held, on Sunday.<\/p><\/div><div id=\"593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78-slide6\"><img data-lazy=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Tornillo6.jpg\" \/><h6 class=\"credit\">Heath Haussamen \/ NMPolitics.net<\/h6><h6 class=\"permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/06\/separation-of-immigrant-children-from-parents-ignites-moral-showdown\/#593303-56593e2e1a94843b1a821c00af785c78\/6\" class=\"slide-permalink\"><i class=\"icon-link\"><\/i> permalink<\/a><\/h6><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from the tent city at a border crossing in Tornillo, Texas, 89 miles from Las Cruces, where immigrant children are being held, on Sunday.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Tornillo, Texas, is a desert town east of El Paso, just 89 miles from Las Cruces. Fewer than 2,000 residents were recorded living there in the 2010 Census. But it hosts a port of entry across the U.S.-Mexico border \u2014 one that exposes the increasingly urgent moral battle over migration and human rights.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the Trump administration announced a new facility at the port of entry to temporarily hold immigrant children separated from their parents.<\/p>\n<p>According to a story in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2018\/06\/14\/tent-city-tornillo\/?utm_campaign=trib-social-buttons&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Texas Tribune<\/a>, HHS is erecting tents in Tornillo for the children and teens. Reporter Bob Moore, former editor of the\u00a0El Paso Times, noted that while the federal government uses the name Tornillo Land Point of Entry, it actually has a different name: The Marcelino Serna Port of Entry. In 2016, it was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gop.gov\/bill\/h-r-5252-designate-united-states-customs-border-protection-port-entry-located-1400-lower-island-road-tornillo-texas-marcelino-serna-port-entry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">re-dedicated<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.elpasotimes.com\/picture-gallery\/news\/2017\/04\/19\/pvt-marcelino-serna-port-of-entry-naming-ceremony\/100673072\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">named for a Mexican immigrant<\/a>\u00a0who was \u201cTexas\u2019 most decorated soldier in WWI,\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BobMooreNews\/status\/1007458509674500096\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Moore wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article comes from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/850541\/u-s-action-toward-migrants-along-border-ignites-moral-showdown-across-the-nation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Mexico Political Report<\/a>,\u00a0a nonprofit news organization\u00a0focused on promoting a greater public understanding of politics and policy in the state of New Mexico.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The tents \u2014 constructed to address overcrowding at existing facilities \u2014 and the separations are part of a \u201czero tolerance\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/press-release\/file\/1049751\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">policy<\/a>\u00a0U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced earlier this year. All migrants caught entering the U.S. illegally are now prosecuted for a misdemeanor in the criminal court system, rather than deported. The government takes parents to a detention facility and places children U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody, from which they can only be released to a family member, guardian or foster family in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Under another new, vague policy, people seeking asylum under the legal immigration process are separated from their children as well.<\/p>\n<p>Separating families is a plan the administration considered for more than a year. In March 2017, then-Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/03\/06\/politics\/john-kelly-separating-children-from-parents-immigration-border\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told CNN<\/a>\u00a0fear of separation would deter migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n<p>During a recent visit to the border, Gov. Susana Martinez told the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abqjournal.com\/1184145\/governor-backs-border-policy-separating-parents-children.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Albuquerque Journal<\/a>\u00a0<i>s<\/i>he supports the Trump administration\u2019s policy. \u201cWe don\u2019t let people who break the law continue to be out breaking the law simply because they have children,\u201d Martinez told the reporter.<\/p>\n<p>Not all elected officials in New Mexico share that sentiment.<\/p>\n<h3>Bargaining chips<\/h3>\n<p>U.S. Sen. Tom Udall criticized Trump for using children as a \u201cbargaining chip to try and extract his anti-immigrant agenda and to build his unnecessary and offensive border wall.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, the president\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1007972046666690561\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tweeted<\/a>: \u201cThe Democrats are forcing the breakup of families at the Border with their horrible and cruel legislative agenda. Any Immigration Bill MUST HAVE full funding for the Wall, end Catch &amp; Release, Visa Lottery and Chain, and go to Merit Based Immigration. Go for it! WIN!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Saturday morning, Trump took to social media again,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1007972046666690561\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">writing<\/a>: \u201cDemocrats can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change! This is why we need more Republicans elected in November. Democrats are good at only three things, High Taxes, High Crime and Obstruction. Sad!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump is misleading the American people about the policy of separation, Udall said: \u201cHe has escalated this punitive practice and he could end it in a matter of minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is no law requiring the separation of children from their parents at the border, Udall said, and he\u2019s called for congressional hearings on what he called a \u201ccold-hearted and immoral decision\u201d by Trump, Sessions and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.<\/p>\n<p>Udall has also been trying to understand how and why the administration is carrying out the policy and how many children are being detained.<\/p>\n<p>The senator\u2019s office requested information from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement about separated children, including the number of children, their age, gender and country of origin. They have yet to receive adequate answers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_593305\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 585px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-593305\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ORR-data-6-12-18.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"585\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ORR-data-6-12-18.png 585w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/ORR-data-6-12-18-336x133.png 336w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 585px) 100vw, 585px\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The data that the Office of Refugee Resettlement said it currently had available in response to requests from Udall.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cThe limited specifics we have are heart-wrenching and appalling: according to information provided to my office, HHS has shared estimates that, in just over a month, more than 1,600 children have been torn away from their parents and put in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd according to reports, at a converted detention facility in Brownsville, Texas, children are being held for an average of 52 days \u2013 52 days at a facility where they spend approximately 22 hours a day locked inside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Friday, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/3361a7d5fa714ea4b028f0a29db1cabc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press reported<\/a>\u00a02,000 children were separated from their parents along the border between April 19 and May 31, according to the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTreating these defenseless children \u2014 many of whom are with families seeking asylum from horrific circumstances \u2014 like they are criminals is simply unconscionable,\u201d Udall said.<\/p>\n<p>When asked how New Mexicans can respond, the senator suggested people call their elected officials and the White House and speak up within their communities. Along with his colleague U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and dozens of other senators, Udall has introduced the Keep Families Together Act, a bill to stop the Department of Homeland Security from taking children from their parents at the border in this way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe policy is immoral, cruel and ineffective,\u201d Udall said.<\/p>\n<p>Heinrich said he has closely followed the humanitarian crisis along the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2014, he toured temporary facilities for undocumented parents and children in Artesia, and in 2016, visited the temporary facility at Holloman Air Force Base for unaccompanied minors \u2014 children and teens who travel across the border without parents or guardians.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s happening now is different. And he called the \u201cinhumane\u201d policy of separating children from their families \u201cineffective and immoral.\u201d<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The Keep Families Together Act, he said, would stop the Department of Homeland Security from taking children from their parents at the border. Another bill he co-sponsored, the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act, would protect minor children left alone after their parents have been arrested or detained by U.S. immigration authorities, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have heard from New Mexicans across the state who are scared and worried about these heartless policies, and have a unique perspective to share on this issue,\u201d he said. \u201cI encourage them to call on lawmakers to hold hearings, push for laws that protect children and continue to make their voices heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Heinrich added, \u201cWe cannot sit silent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce has also been tracking the issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to ensure all immigrants are treated with respect when they come to the country,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cSeparating families is not the solution to the many problems that exist in our broken immigration system.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The system has not changed under the Trump administration, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a child is separated from a parent, the Department of Health and Human Services tries to place the child in the most appropriate setting, whether that is with a family member who is in the country legally or in foster care,\u201d he said. \u201cBorder Patrol agents do all they can to ensure that a child is not being placed in a dangerous environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Asked about the conditions of the facilities and the qualifications of those working with the children, Pearce said he was \u201cconfident that the individuals working these facilities are qualified to carry out their duties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pearce said Congress must \u201ccome together to make meaningful changes to the immigration system so these problems will not persist in the future.\u201d He also encouraged people with specific concerns about a specific case to contact his office to \u201censure that all proper protocols and procedures are being followed accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pearce is leaving his congressional seat to run for governor against U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham.<\/p>\n<p>As chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Lujan Grisham has been a vocal critic of the separation policy. In May she called out the four federal agencies involved \u2014 the Justice Department, HHS, DHS and ORR \u2014 for being \u201cill-equipped\u201d to ensure the well-being of children in custody.<\/p>\n<p>At a press conference in Washington, D.C. Friday morning commemorating the sixth anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Lujan Grisham answered reporters\u2019 questions about the separation policy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are no substantive defenses, no policy defenses to their current actions separating families and taking children away from their mothers and fathers at the border,\u201d she said. \u201cIt just is another indication that they cannot govern, they are not interested in doing the right thing, and they have nothing defensible about any of the current decisions this administration is making.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lujan Grisham added that the Trump policies on separation are new.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is not a Democratic policy, it was not an Obama policy, and they do everything they can to try to deflect from telling the truth,\u201d she said. \u201cThey hide from the fact that they recklessly created the crisis by rescinding DACA \u2014 and they did it to try to extract political gain in the most draconian ways and to use immigrant and migrant families to try to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018The Bible tells us to love our neighbor\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>On Thursday,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/speech\/attorney-general-sessions-addresses-recent-criticisms-zero-tolerance-church-leaders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sessions defended<\/a>\u00a0the White House\u2019s immigration policy to church leaders in Indiana, saying the U.S. has an \u201chistoric opportunity to \u2014 finally \u2014 fix an immigration system that has been broken for decades.\u201d He said \u201celites and Washington insiders have prioritized the interests of certain corporate interests and activist groups over what is best for the American people.\u201d The Trump administration, he said, is \u201cworking to restore legality to the system\u201d and attacked the media for \u201cfake news\u201d about the zero tolerance policy.<\/p>\n<p>Sessions said the policy of \u201cshort term separation of families is not unusual or unjustified\u201d and cited the Bible:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Persons who violate the law of our nation are subject to prosecution. I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.<\/p>\n<p>Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Immigration to the United States is not a right, he said, and Trump is keeping his word to \u201cend the illegality and to fix our system.\u201d Sessions added: \u201cSome people in the media have chosen to attack us for enforcing the law. That doesn\u2019t surprise me. But I\u2019m not ashamed of the United States of America. I am not going to apologize for carrying out our laws. That is my duty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sessions also recently\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/eoir\/page\/file\/1070866\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">decided<\/a>\u00a0that immigration judges under the Department of Justice should not approve asylum for victims of domestic abuse and gang violence.<\/p>\n<p>The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the separation policy as \u201ca serious violation of the rights of the child.\u201d And leaders across faiths have condemned the policy.<\/p>\n<p>Friday, the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops announced its support for Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the U.S. Conferences of Catholic Bishops who urged courts and policymakers to \u201crespect and enhance, not erode\u201d the county\u2019s asylum system to protect women vulnerable to domestic violence and to keep families from being separated.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n, who represents much of Northern New Mexico, blasted Sessions and the president\u2019s press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, for citing scripture as justification for what he called a \u201cheartless practice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Bible tells us to love our neighbor: \u2018When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,\u2019\u201d Luj\u00e1n quoted. \u201cThere is simply no good reason for taking these children from their parents. If the President truly believes that separating families is wrong, as he has repeatedly said, then he must immediately abandon this policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He called the Trump administration\u2019s decisions \u201cinhumane and immoral.\u201d Early next week, he\u2019ll be visiting the district of Texas U.S. Rep. Filem\u00f3n Vela with several other lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve already heard stories of children being ripped from their parents\u2019 arms, mothers and fathers begging judges for updates on children they haven\u2019t seen in weeks or even months, distraught children being held in conditions that no child should have to endure, and even of one father who took his own life rather than be separated from his children,\u201d Luj\u00e1n said. \u201cAs a nation \u2014 as men and women of compassion \u2014 we cannot stand by while mothers literally have their children torn from them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. Susana Martinez supports the Trump administration&#8217;s policy. Not all elected officials in New Mexico share that sentiment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":593325,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[140,234],"class_list":["post-593303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-border-and-immigration","tag-children"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}