DOJ Report: Trump’s Appalling Family Separation Policy Was Political

“Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and top Justice Department officials moved forward with a “zero tolerance” immigration policy in 2018 aware that it would forcibly split up families and were unprepared for the impact, according to a new report by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General.

Sessions’ office was a ‘driving force’ in pushing for the Department of Homeland Security to begin referring adults who entered the U.S. illegally with children to be prosecuted by the Justice Department, according to the report. The Trump administration policy, which lasted from April to June 2018, resulted in the separation of more than 5,000 families — with hundreds that still have not been reunited.”

— “Jeff Sessions’ DOJ was ‘driving force’ behind family separation policy, IG report finds,” Sabrina Rodríguez, Politico

More:

“Justice Department Knew 2018 Border Policy Would Separate Children From Families,” Dustin Jones, NPR News

“Senior U.S. Justice officials pushed family separations, watchdog finds,” Mimi Dwyer, Reuters

“Justice officials respond to report on family separation by blaming Trump, expressing regret,” Julia Ainsley and Jacob Soboroff, NBC News

Update:

“The Justice Department Has Rescinded Trump’s “Zero Tolerance” Border Policy That Led To Families Being Separated,” Adolfo Flores, BuzzFeed News

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-wyW

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Doctors: Trump’s separation of families is torture

“The trauma Donald Trump’s administration caused to young children and parents separated at the US-Mexico border constitutes torture, according to evaluations of 26 children and adults by the group Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).

The not-for-profit group’s report provides the first in-depth look at the psychological impact of family separation, which the US government continued despite warnings from the nation’s top medical bodies.”

‘Legal experts have argued family separation constituted torture, but this is the first time a medical group has reached the determination.”

— “Trump’s separation of families constitutes torture, doctors find,” Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-uuu

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Trump Administration Snatched 1,500 More Babies at the Border

“The American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday that the Trump administration separated 1,556 more immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border than has previously been disclosed to the public.

The majority of the children are ages 12 and under, including more than 200 considered “tender age” because they are under 5 years old.

The ACLU said the Justice Department disclosed the final tally — which is in addition to the more than 2,700 children known to have been separated last year — hours before a federal court deadline to identify all children separated since mid-2017, the year President Trump took office.”

— “ACLU says 1,500 more migrant children were taken from parents by the Trump administration,” Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-u0d

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Government Watchdog: Separated Migrant Children Suffer Severe Trauma

Many migrant children separated from their parents by the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy experienced severe mental trauma, according to a new report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General. Separated children “exhibited more fear, feelings of abandonment, and post-traumatic stress” than children who were not separated.

The Trump Administration continues to separate migrant children from their families at the southern border, claims the ACLU, despite a year-old court order forbidding the practice. There is an exception when parents pose a risk to their children, and Customs and Border Protection has abused that carve-out, separating nearly 1000 children from families over petty offenses or subjective and contrived reasons, says the ACLU in court filings. After CBP separates families, the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement becomes responsible for child welfare, hence the IG report.

More:

“‘Can’t feel my heart:’ IG says separated kids traumatized,” Colleen Long, Martha Mendoza, and Garance Burke, Associated Press

“Government watchdog details severe trauma suffered by separated children,” Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-tR4

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Family Separations Continue

The Trump Administration continues to separate migrant children from their families at the southern border, claims the ACLU, despite a year-old court order forbidding the practice. There is an exception when parents with criminal histories or communicable diseases pose a risk to their children, and Customs and Border Protection has abused that carve-out, separating nearly 1000 children from families over petty offenses or subjective and contrived reasons, says the ACLU in court filings.

More:

“ACLU: U.S. has taken nearly 1,000 child migrants from their parents since judge ordered stop to border separations,”Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-twu

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

GOP Family Values: Baby Snatching

U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw has given the Trump administration six months, until October 25th, to identify the thousands of children it has separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border:

“It is important for all government actors to have a timeframe, a deadline,” he said. “You tend to stand on it.”

— “Judge gives US 6 months to identify children split at border,” Elliot Spagat, Associated Press

 

More:

“Judge gives U.S. six months to identify separated migrant children,” Tom Hals, Reuters

Update:

“Leaked Emails Show Trump Admin Couldn’t Reunite Separated Migrant Kids With Parents,” Daily Beast

Related:

“New Poll: Despite Partisan Divides on Immigration, Americans Oppose Family Separation,” Shibley Telhami and Stella M. Rouse, Lawfare

“Trump says ending family separation practice was a ‘disaster’ that led to surge in border crossings,” Kimberly Kindy, Nick Miroff and Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post

“Homeland Security Used a Private Intelligence Firm to Monitor Family Separation Protests,” Ryan Devereaux, The Intercept

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-t6B

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Trump Will Take 2 Years to Reunite Separated Families

The Justice Department has told a judge it will take at least two years to find out how many of the 47,000 children DHS locked up at the Mexican border were separated from their families by the government. The kids were jailed between July 1, 2017 and June 25, 2018 before U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw ordered the Trump Administration to stop the “Zero Tolerance” practice of baby snatching and reunite the families.

The plaintiff in the case, the ACLU, is understandably upset with the timeline, as are psychologists who treat separated children. Or anyone, really, except Stephen Miller.

More:

“U.S. Says It Could Take 2 Years to Identify Up to Thousands of Separated Immigrant Families,” Victor J. Blue, New York Times

“It may take 2 years to identify thousands of separated families, government says,” Catherine E. Shoichet and Priscilla Alvarez, CNN

“The Long-Term Damage of Trump’s War on Immigrants,” Chas Danner, New York Magazine

Updates:

“Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen leaving Trump administration amid surge of migrants,” Nick Miroff, Josh Dawsey, Seung Min Kim, and Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post

“Kirstjen Nielsen Was Heartless, but Not Heartless Enough for Trump,” Michael Tomasky,
Daily Beast

“Stephen Miller pressuring Trump officials amid immigration shakeups,” Anita Kumar, Gabby Orr, and Daniel Lippman, Politico

“Inside Trump adviser Stephen Miller’s grand plan to ‘clean house’ at the DHS,” Brendan Morrow, The Week

Related:

“Trump’s possibly illegal designation of a new acting homeland security secretary, explained,” Matthew Yglesias, Vox

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-t1u

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Trump Administration Lost Thousands More Migrant Children

A report from the DHS Office of the Inspector General finds that an unknown number of children, possibly thousands, were separated from parents at the US-Mexico border before the May 2018 “Zero Tolerance” family separation policy was announced, but weren’t been included in official government tallies of separated families. The kids in the OIG report were placed in foster care but haven’t been reunited with their parents because the Trump Administration lost them. A court ordered migrant family reunification in June 2018.

NBC found a draft of a December 2017 memo indicating that DHS and DOJ were planning the family separations well before Sessions’ “Zero Tolerance” announcement. That’s troubling for DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen who told the House Judiciary Committee, in sworn testimony on December 2018, “We’ve never had a policy for family separation.” Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has called on the FBI to open a perjury investigation of Secretary Neilsen.

More:

“Thousands more migrant children separated under Trump than previously known,” Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian

Related:

“Trump’s health secretary refuses Democrats’ request to testify on separated kids,” Dan Diamond, Politico

Updates:

“Mexico won’t accept minors awaiting US asylum claims,” Associated Press

“No one at this child separation hearing knows how many children are still separated,” Kathryn Krawczyk, The Week

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-sEq

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Trump Administration Seeks Indefinite Detention of Migrant Children

In July U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee held that the federal government violated the 1997 Flores settlement by detaining immigrant children seeking asylum for more than 20 days. There are still 500 children in government-run shelters, so naturally the Trump Administration wants to change the rules and do an end-run around Flores. HHS and DHS submitted a Proposed Rule this morning that would allow the indefinite detention of child asylum seekers. “Indefinite” as in “maybe forever,” or until the kids grow up and are old enough to deport.

Other provisions of the new rule would allow children and families to be held in facilities that haven’t been approved for state or local licenses, give facilities “emergency” loopholes for not meeting standards of care, revoke legal protections for unaccompanied migrant children.

More:

“Trump Administration Moves to Sidestep Restrictions on Detaining Migrant Children,” Caitlin Dickerson, New York Times

“Trump seeks changes in landmark agreement limiting how long migrant children can be detained,” Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times

“Don’t Let Migrant Kids Rot,” New York Times editorial

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-s8w

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

GOP Family Values

Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions recently authorized the separation of migrant mothers and children at the US border, and about 2000 children are now in detention centers. It seems cruel, but Mr. Sessions claims Biblical authority, the same passage used to justify slavery. Many disagree, including the United Methodist Church, to which Jeff Sessions belongs.

President Donald Trump authorized family separation but reversed course when Fox News started covering crying children separated from their parents. As of this moment there is only a vague plan to reunite 2000 detained migrant kids with their parents, and indications are that, moving forward, parents and children will be locked up together, a practice illegal under current law.

Most recently, President Trump has suggested abandoning the rule of law by denying due process to detained migrants, instituting summary deportations.

More:

“It’s Happening Here Because Americans Can’t Admit it’s Happening Here,” Umair Haque, The Independent

“Trump Says Illegal Immigrants Should Be Deported With ‘No Judges or Court Cases,'” Doina Chiacu and Sarah N. Lynch, Reuters via U.S. News & World Report

“Trump stokes immigration chaos with call for summary deportations,” John Swaine, The Guardian

“AP Fact Check: Trump’s take on immigrant crime off mark,” Colleen Long, Associated Press

“A Trump quote about evicting tenants greets detained migrant children,” Annalisa Merelli, Quartz

“The multibillion-dollar business of sheltering migrant children, explained,” Emily Stewart, Vox

“How to sleep at night when families are being separated at the border,” Alexandra Petri, Washington Post

“‘At Least During the Internment …’ Are Words I Thought I’d Never Utter,” George Takei, Foreign Policy

“The Shameless Fakery of Trump’s Retreat on Family Separations,” Frank Rich, New York Magazine

“There’s no migration crisis – the crisis is political opportunism,” Doug Sanders, Globe & Mail

“White House aide Miller targeted in backlash over family separations,” Nancy Cook, Politico

Updates:

“Trump will reunite separated families — but only if they agree to deportation,” Dara Lind, Vox

“Call A 1-800 Number And Wait: Migrant Parents Search For Their Children,” Mallory Falk, NPR

“How the Humanitarian Crisis on the Mexico Border Could Worsen,” Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker

“Do undocumented immigrants have the right to a day in court? The Supreme Court answered in 1896.” Annalisa Merelli, Quartz

“Summer Camp at the Nightmare Factory,” Patrick Blanchfield, The Revealer

________________________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-rP6

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine