The horrors of the Donald Trump administration’s immigration policy continue to horrify the American public. The separation of small children from their parents, separation that has resulted in the deaths of at least six of those children, sparked a national outcry. Overcrowding at detention centers were reported by agencies conducting oversight, with witnesses attesting that nearly a thousand people were held in a building meant to detain no more than 125.
This is sick.
We will look back at this moment in time and ask ourselves what we did to put a stop to these horrific, inhumane policies. Speak up. Speak out. Be on the right side of history. https://t.co/cnm4ME5IVw
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 12, 2019
The problems caused by Trump’s fearmongering rhetoric, which includes the increased numbers of migrants attempting to cross the border to escape poverty and violence, is now spawning yet another deplorable corrective action.
Time reports that:
‘The Trump Administration has opted to use an Army base in Oklahoma to hold growing numbers of immigrant children in its custody after running out of room at government shelters.
‘Fort Sill, an 150-year-old installation once used as an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II, has been selected to detain 1,400 children until they can be given to an adult relative, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.’
Trump administration plans to use Fort Sill, which previously served as a Japanese internment camp, to house 1,400 migrant children https://t.co/2IYALnbtmC
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) June 12, 2019
The internment camps used to detain Japanese-Americans during WWII left a lasting stain on the history of the United States, and Trump seems fully willing to repeat past mistakes. The deaths, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect of children in detention centers under the Trump administration should spark empathy and a rethinking of policy, but Trump and his supporters are simply incapable of this.
‘Health and Human Services said in a statement that it has taken about 40,900 children into custody through April 30. That’s a 57% increase from last year, which is a rate on-pace to surpass the record figures in 2016, when 59,171 minors were taken into custody. The agency had assessed two other military bases before selecting Fort Sill.
‘The children would be held inside facilities that are separate from the general on-base population. HHS personnel, not American troops, will oversee them.’
Every time I say that I just can’t take it anymore things just get worse. https://t.co/ONGUZ4HQwr
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) June 12, 2019
It will inevitably be mentioned when public outcry over this policy grows that the Obama administration also used Fort Sill as a detention center for migrant youth, although the differences are many. The youth held during the Obama presidency were older children, sent to the U.S. to escape violence by parents unable to accompany them. The site was also used only for a period of four months while the children were sent back into danger. None of this excuses the injustices of our immigration policies under past administrations, but Trump seems eager to increase those injustices exponentially against the most vulnerable members of our global society.
‘Apprehensions of children at the border are already nearing record numbers. U.S. Customs and Border Protection released data last week that showed the figures had skyrocketed to 56,278 at the end of May, a 74% increase over last year. The influx of migrants, mainly from Central America, is straining an already exhausted system, U.S. officials say. Several children have died while in U.S. custody since last year.’
The Trump regime is detaining 1,400 migrant children at Fort Sill, an 150-year-old installation once used as an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War II. They must be held accountable for these atrocities! https://t.co/V1zclIKDXN
— Amy Siskind ?️? (@Amy_Siskind) June 12, 2019
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
