Donald Trump‘s treatment of immigrants is cruel and inhumane.
From killing DACA to the Muslim ban, it’s perfectly in line with the racism we’ve been yelling about since his first campaign announcement speech.
Most recently, the government has begun separating children from their parents at the border, something Trump’s Chief of Staff John Kelly said would be a “deterrent” against more coming here — a far cry from “bring me your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
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Even conservative icons like Laura Bush are coming out against the family separation policy and the warehousing of immigrant children **without their parent or guardian** into what look like prison camps.
Border Patrol has not allowed any press or lawmakers to take photos or film inside these facilities, but the descriptions are horrifying.
And now the government has finally released its own video to try to assuage people’s outrage. Watch (below):
BREAKING: Border Patrol @CBP just gave us this video of the detention facility we toured yesterday in McAllen, Texas. We weren’t allowed to bring in cameras, or interview anyone. To be clear: this is government handout video. pic.twitter.com/Zjy80qIZFZ
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) June 18, 2018
Yeah. It looks like an episode of Scared Straight. That’s the stuff they WANT you to see.
Here’s CBS News reporter David Begnaud‘s description after being inside:
And here’s the unintentionally hilarious reaction to THAT piece from Border Patrol:
This just in from @davidbegnaud: Border Patrol has reached out to @cbsthismorning and said they are “very uncomfortable” with the use of the word cages. They say it’s not inaccurate and added that they may be cages but people are not being treated like animals. pic.twitter.com/0zSDqJszgK
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) June 18, 2018
“Please don’t call them cages. Yes, they are cages, but please don’t say that.”
Wow.
According to Department of Homeland Security data, around 50 kids a day are being forcibly taken from their parents — and that number doesn’t even include those seeking asylum, so the number could be much higher.
(And Trump’s DOJ is actively making it more difficult to get asylum, most recently removing “fleeing domestic abuse” as a qualifying reason.)
You’d think this mistreatment of immigrants would be too much for immigrant First Lady, but then again she knows who she’s married to.
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Melania Trump did put out a somewhat compassionate-sounding statement through her communications director:
“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. She believes we need to be a country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.”
At least she’s decrying the practice.
But both sides? That’s definitely a Donald play.
In his own statement, he doesn’t mince words, straight blaming the Democrats (and misspelling the word “Border”):
It is the Democrats fault for being weak and ineffective with Boarder Security and Crime. Tell them to start thinking about the people devastated by Crime coming from illegal immigration. Change the laws!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018
(Yes, when THE PRESIDENT repeatedly makes typos in statements to the public, we’re going to notice.)
You can always tell when Trump knows something is too far — because instead of his usual, ‘Yeah I did it so what’ you get him blaming the Democrats for not stopping him from doing it.
He’s been doing the same thing with the DREAMers, blaming Democrats for not fixing the law — when HE’S THE ONE WHO TOOK AWAY THEIR PROTECTION!
He’s shouting like an old man watching Fox News in his pajamas and he’s forgetting that TV he’s looking at is on a wall in the White House!
A Republican is President. Republicans control the Senate. Republicans control the House.
If Trump actually wanted to help these kids, he could. If he wanted to stop children from being ripped away from their parents, he could sign an executive order today. He could rally his party to vote for a law to do so.
Trump does not want to help these children. He is who he has been telling you he is since the beginning.
An authoritarian racist with no sense of empathy, knowledge of history, or understanding of diplomacy.
This is not America. This is not who we are. Donald Trump’s America is not who we are.
[Image via Twitter/Ben Kriemann/Future Image/WENN.]