UN: “A SERIOUS VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD”
US IMMIGRATION POLICY SEPARATES 2,000 CHILDREN FROM PARENTS
18 June 2018
Close to 2,000 children have been forcibly removed from their parents or guardians since the initiation of America’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy on 19th of April 2018.
Attorney general Jeff Sessions announced the new policy, which stipulates Depart of Homeland Security (DHS) officials must now refer all cases of illegal entry into the US for criminal prosecution. US protocol does not prosecute children for the crime of their parents. DHS officials do not officially detain the children but rather separate them.
Figure released by the DHS revealed that 1,995 minors were separated from 1,940 adults between 19 April and 31 May 2018. The list included separations for illegal entry, immigration violations and possible criminal conduct by the adult.
On Sunday 17th June 2018, the US Border Patrol permitted reporters to briefly visit the facility where the families arrested at the southern border are held. The old warehouse in south Texas holds over 1,100 people, which is comprised of separate confines for unaccompanied children, adults on their own and mothers and fathers with children.
These zones are demarcated by a series of metal-fenced cages. The overhead lighting is on 24 hours a day, and there are portable bathrooms positioned just outside the cages.
Despite being allowed to explore the facility, the reporters were prohibited from interviewing any of the detainees, or take any photos.
The Trump administration claims the policy will stem a surge in the number of poor families attempting to emigrate to the US from Central America, notably Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Each week, thousands of migrants cross the US-Mexico border and approach the border authorities to immediately request asylum, citing widespread violence in their home countries.
The new policy has been denounced by the UN human rights agency, US politicians and immigrants’ rights activists. The scathing criticism escalated after an NBC news report revealed the Texas immigrant detention centre only allowed the children to play outside for 2 hours each day.
Jeff Sessions defended the policy, using a biblical passage as justification.
‘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 the government for his purposes.’
In stark contrast, the organising body of Catholic bishops in the US has labelled the policy “immoral” and demanded the government cease the practice of separating families.
The UN human rights office has requested that the US ‘immediately halt’ the policy which uses family separation as a deterrent.
Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani expressed serious concern saying, ‘the use of immigration detention and family separation as a deterrent runs counter to human rights standards and principles.”
“The right to claim asylum is a fundamental human right… and it is also part of the law in the United States”, stated William Spindler of the UN refugee agency.
If the current rates of detainment of immigrants continue on America’s southern border, by the end of 2018 there will be close to 12,000 separated children in the detention centres. The rights of the child are not protected by America’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy, which should be terminated immediately.
Melania Trump commented on the immigration crisis taking place at America’s borders through her spokesman.
“Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful immigration reform,” her communications director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN on Sunday.
“She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”