The new House committee report on family separation, paired with recent revelations that the Trump Administration exploited a rarely used provision of a 1944 public health law and strongarmed the Centers for Disease Control to turn back more than 13,000 unaccompanied children at our southern border, shocks the system.
That’s 13,000 times that the government denied children a safe placement and the right to tell their story, with no questions asked about whether they would be safe. And for the many children stolen from their parents, the trauma might take a lifetime to overcome.
Our laws demand particular protections for children who come to our border without a parent or legal guardian, and demand that we provide a safe haven to those fleeing persecution and violence. and a new life in our country. Instead, this administration is striking at families and children with incisive precision, endangering them in the process.
134 years ago yesterday, we dedicated the Statue of Liberty. She says:
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . .
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
What have we done to our golden door?