I want to start off by first saying that I agree that the policy of family separation at the border was absolutely immoral and contrary to my values. I know that may not make some of you happy to read here on OpsLens, but I feel comfortable saying it because unlike the hysterical “left,” we can actually tolerate listening to opposing sides of an argument. When it comes to fixing the immigration situation in the United States, I believe that Congress has been absolutely absent from doing their duties for decades. Without a doubt, we need to enforce the laws of our nation while respecting the inherent human dignity of even those who would so brazenly break the law by attempting to enter the United States illegally.
Pope Francis once said of his related experience, “During the Obama years I celebrated Mass in Ciudad Juárez while on the other side of the border 50 bishops concelebrated and in the stadium there were many people. The problem already existed there. It’s not just an issue with Trump but goes back to prior governments.”
However, I also want to talk about the absolutely immoral behavior of those parents bringing their children to the border with the intention of illegally crossing, fully knowing the risks that they are willfully placing upon their family. VICE News recently spoke with some of the people making this choice, who say that the threat of being separated from their children is worth the chance to get across the border. This is where I have to raise a red flag and ask what kind of parent says this, then pretends to be a victim when consequences to which they were privy actually happen.
"Over here, you might not only see your children for a while, but at least you'll reunite with them. Over there, you and your children are in risk of getting killed."
Trump's harsh immigration policies aren't stopping these migrants from crossing over. Here's why.
(via @HBO) pic.twitter.com/KVA88KL9Rm
— VICE News (@vicenews) June 21, 2018
“If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child will be separated from you as required by law… If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border,” US Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated.
Much has been said to validly criticize USAG Jeff Sessions over some of the comments he has made regarding this issue. That being said, he was very clear on May 7, 2018 when he said that if you illegally enter the United States you will be prosecuted and your children would have to be put into government custody. I think in this regard, we could take heed of what First Lady Melania Trump had to say in an interview: “We need to be a country that follows all laws but also a country that governs with heart.”
This situation is complicated and no amount of outrage on social media is going to fix the problem. We don’t have open borders, nor should we; we don’t give free passes to those breaking the law, just because they are parents. We are not a nation that should be carelessly separating children from their parents without a well-thought-out plan on how to get them back to either their families or government officials in the country of origin, while their parents undergo the prosecution for their crimes and are punished accordingly.
It breaks my heart to see these pictures (the ones that aren’t staged or from several years ago). I want a solution, not finger-pointing and blame-shifting. Congress needs to be held accountable and pass comprehensive and sweeping immigration reforms. Their refusal to do so out of a sense of career preservation is the reason why we have reached this point; they are the true villains in this story, not the law enforcement and federal agents doing their jobs.
