On Friday, Trump continued trying to justify his detainment and separation of 2,300 migrant children from their families by holding an event honoring American families who have lost children to murders committed by undocumented immigrants.
Just as Trump has worked to justify his policies of cruelty against migrant children by referencing MS-13, pushing an idea that eight ten-thousandths of one percent of undocumented immigrants in a gang that began in California in the 1980s are somehow representative of the entire undocumented immigrant community, his exploitation of these families paints a picture of immigrants as violent criminals who put American lives at risk.
Trump stood in front of the families giving his speech while the families held pictures of their late children. What appeared on those pictures, however, was unreal.
In large black letters, Trump had personally autographed the photos of the families’ children. Why anyone thought that was an appropriate thing to do is beyond all understanding.
This is nothing more than exploiting the grief of families, despite the fact that they consented to it, to push a cruel agenda that harms children and their families. While everyone can agree that what these families have been through with the loss of their children is heart-wrenching, it is a criminal issue. It’s not, in any way, an immigration issue.
Featured image via Getty/Bloomberg
