Because of laws protecting children from being held in jail, this necessitated separating them from their mothers and/or fathers. And now we find out that they had no plan whatsoever of how they might eventually reunite parents and children, who in many cases had been shipped to facilities half a continent away. In another smaller number, some parents have already been deported without their kids, and don't even know where they are -- just somewhere in the U.S.
One activist worker found that, of some 40 mothers she worked with, whose children had been taken from them, not a single one knew where her children are. And so far, the agency responsible is unable or unwilling to tell them.
Further, we now find out that this was intentional. Our government was so intent on using separations as a deterrent (despite now denying it) that they weren't even thinking about families as human beings, or the effects of trauma on young lives, and the anguish of parents whose babies were, in effect, kidnapped and being held for ransom by the United States government.
The ransom demanded, of course, being forcing the Democrats to vote for the Republican version of an immigration bill, including fully funding Trump's stupid Wall. This is coupled with the propaganda, willingly spread by the Trump TV network (aka Fox News) and the right-wing blathersphere.
Of course, those who get their news from other sources already knew that it was Donald Trump, egged on by senior policy adviser Stephen Miller whispering in his ear, that set this whole thing in motion with his original Executive Order. It was as rashly and inadequately planned as was Miller's first big project: Trump's original Muslim travel ban.
Here's what happened. In the Obama administration, which was followed by Trump for the first year, those who crossed the border without authorization were picked up. If they had no history of other criminal activity, they were given a court date and released -- which the Trump people derisively refer to as "catch and release." Trump claims that only 3% ever show up to court. That's not true. No good records are kept, but one indication is that it may be as high as 70% who return to plead guilty and take their punishment.
The intent and effect of the Sessions-Trump zero tolerance policy is that every one who crosses the border illegally is now put in jail. So that change is what created the problem of huge numbers of children separated from parents. That's not to say that there were no separations before this. Clearly, even for American citizens legitimately put in jail, their children can't go with them, except temporarily while other arrangements are made with family, friends, or social agencies.
It's the scale of the numbers that's different. And that is different because Trump is treating as "criminal" -- as in serious crime requiring jail -- everyone who commits the misdemeanor of illegally crossing our borders. That's what's different. Misdemeanors don't usually get you jail time (think traffic violations, petty theft) if you have no previous record, which most of these parents do not, especially the ones fleeing for their lives and asking for asylum in the US. Why treat them as criminals? At the very least, they should not jail the ones seeking asylum who crossed illegally only because they were turned away at the border crossing without an asylum-eligible hearing?
He's done nothing to fix that. It will result in private contractors now making billions to construct these tent internment camps to house tens of thousands of parents with their kids, plus other big contracts to provide beds and plumbing, and food. This is not a solution. If he really wanted to address the real problem, he wouldn't even need to set up a photo op (though of course he would do it anyway -- that man does love photo ops). He could just send out an order to his Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security and tell them to stop putting misdemeanor offenders in jail. Stop the zero tolerance policy.
Beyond all this, though, it's time to comment on the incompetence of this administration. We've known the lack of staffing, plus the fact that President Trump does not pay much attention to those he has -- except to a select few who tell him what he wants to hear.
In a complex policy decision with consequences like this, inter-agency coordination is necessary. You can't do it on a whim on the fly. It requires planning by those who can anticipate problems because they have experience.
In contrast, Trump is as likely to take advice from Sean Hannity, or the friend with no government experience that he had a late night phone conversation with; or base a decisions on the effect he thinks it will have on international trade, or how it will affect his polls.
This, folks, is what you get with someone like Trump. He has no respect for those who know what they're talking about -- either through factual knowledge or long experience. Rather, he believes what he hears in his own head, spouts it as fact (even when it's demonstrably the opposite), and that becomes United States policy.
One simple example: Trump refuses to quit telling the lie that immigrants (especially those who come from our Southern neighbors) bring crime and drugs and disease; he has just this week called them as "an infestation." The fact has repeatedly been pointed out to him: immigrants are less likely to commit a crime than those who were raised in the United States. But Trump prefers to believe the voice in his head that says they're all MS-13 gang members or potential members. He has to paint them as undesirable, even dangerous, in order to shore up his political base.
Long-time GOP strategist and adviser to presidential candidates Steve Schmidt has resigned from the Republican party, saying that there is now only one major political party that will foster the restoration of our democratic principles and values -- and that is the Democratic Party. Conservative columnist George Will has now also weighed in -- encouraging people to vote for Democrats in the midterm election. Only with a Democratic majority in congress will any restraints be put on this president, because the Republicans are unable to muster the spine to stand up to him, according to Mr. Will.
Bad as this week has been, I have the feeling that we've seen the beginning of a tectonic shift.
Ralph
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