Jun 20, 2018
In the face of mounting domestic and international backlash over his administration's inhumane practice of forcibly ripping families apart at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain families together, a policy Amnesty International decried as just "another way to punish parents and children for seeking protection."
"The United States cannot continue to treat vulnerable families fleeing horrific violence and persecution like criminals. It is time to end family detention once and for all."
--Denise Bell, Amnesty International
"Make no mistake--this executive order is a betrayal of families fleeing violence and persecution," Denise Bell, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Amnesty International USA, said in a statement after Trump signed the order. "The United States cannot continue to treat vulnerable families fleeing horrific violence and persecution like criminals. We must do everything we can to ensure protection for people who have lost everything. It is time to end family detention once and for all."
While Trump insisted during remarks to reporters on Wednesday that he decided to sign the executive order--which was drafted by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen--because he has "compassion" for immigrant children, the order does absolutely nothing to reunite the thousands of families that the White House has already separated and continues the administration's so-called "zero tolerance" policy.
\u201cThis Executive Order is a sham. By not ending zero tolerance, President Trump is keeping families in jail. Children in jail.\n\nAll he\u2019s done is trade one form of child abuse for another. https://t.co/sjobgbP9V4\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1529528422
Echoing Lee in a series of tweets on Wednesday, the advocacy group Women's March notes that "instead of imprisoning children in separate internment camps away from their parents, this administration will now imprison children in the same internment camps as their parents."
\u201cThis Executive Order was not an act of compassion. Locking families in in prison camps is not an act of compassion.\n\nWe are more determined than ever to rise up against this administration and demand an end to the zero-tolerance policy that criminalizes immigrants and their kids.\u201d— Women's March (@Women's March) 1529522532
Trump's executive order comes after weeks of constant lies by White House officials and Republican lawmakers, who repeatedly claimed that the family separations adhered to the letter of the law and that "Congress alone" could remedy the humanitarian catastrophe the president and his racist team of advisers manufactured.
As Buzzfeedexplains, Trump's order instructs "DHS to keep custody over families while both criminal and administrative immigration proceedings are pending" and "directs the defense secretary to provide any existing facilities that could be used to detain families together, and to build more as needed."
"Jailing families is not an acceptable solution to putting children in cages. The best--and safest--place for these children is with their families and in their communities."
--Marielena Hincapie, National Immigration Law Center
The order also directs White House lawyers to request a modification of the 1997 Flores Settlement, which states that federal officials must "place each detained minor in the least restrictive setting appropriate" and release minors "without unnecessary delay."
As the New York Timesnotes, if courts don't accept this proposed modification, Trump's order is likely to spark legal challenges arguing that the "makeshift facilities" and indefinite detention of families the White House is demanding run afoul of the terms of the Flores Settlement.
In a statement on Wednesday, Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, argued that Trump's executive order is a substance-free attempt to "placate Americans who have been rightly outraged by their government's repugnant policies, including separating children and babies from their parents and housing them in cages."
"Jailing families is not an acceptable solution to putting children in cages. The best--and safest--place for these children is with their families and in their communities," Hincapie concluded. "The Trump administration pretends that alternatives to detention don't exist. This is false. There are numerous alternatives that are both more humane and less costly, but this president refuses to use them."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In the face of mounting domestic and international backlash over his administration's inhumane practice of forcibly ripping families apart at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain families together, a policy Amnesty International decried as just "another way to punish parents and children for seeking protection."
"The United States cannot continue to treat vulnerable families fleeing horrific violence and persecution like criminals. It is time to end family detention once and for all."
--Denise Bell, Amnesty International
"Make no mistake--this executive order is a betrayal of families fleeing violence and persecution," Denise Bell, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Amnesty International USA, said in a statement after Trump signed the order. "The United States cannot continue to treat vulnerable families fleeing horrific violence and persecution like criminals. We must do everything we can to ensure protection for people who have lost everything. It is time to end family detention once and for all."
While Trump insisted during remarks to reporters on Wednesday that he decided to sign the executive order--which was drafted by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen--because he has "compassion" for immigrant children, the order does absolutely nothing to reunite the thousands of families that the White House has already separated and continues the administration's so-called "zero tolerance" policy.
\u201cThis Executive Order is a sham. By not ending zero tolerance, President Trump is keeping families in jail. Children in jail.\n\nAll he\u2019s done is trade one form of child abuse for another. https://t.co/sjobgbP9V4\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1529528422
Echoing Lee in a series of tweets on Wednesday, the advocacy group Women's March notes that "instead of imprisoning children in separate internment camps away from their parents, this administration will now imprison children in the same internment camps as their parents."
\u201cThis Executive Order was not an act of compassion. Locking families in in prison camps is not an act of compassion.\n\nWe are more determined than ever to rise up against this administration and demand an end to the zero-tolerance policy that criminalizes immigrants and their kids.\u201d— Women's March (@Women's March) 1529522532
Trump's executive order comes after weeks of constant lies by White House officials and Republican lawmakers, who repeatedly claimed that the family separations adhered to the letter of the law and that "Congress alone" could remedy the humanitarian catastrophe the president and his racist team of advisers manufactured.
As Buzzfeedexplains, Trump's order instructs "DHS to keep custody over families while both criminal and administrative immigration proceedings are pending" and "directs the defense secretary to provide any existing facilities that could be used to detain families together, and to build more as needed."
"Jailing families is not an acceptable solution to putting children in cages. The best--and safest--place for these children is with their families and in their communities."
--Marielena Hincapie, National Immigration Law Center
The order also directs White House lawyers to request a modification of the 1997 Flores Settlement, which states that federal officials must "place each detained minor in the least restrictive setting appropriate" and release minors "without unnecessary delay."
As the New York Timesnotes, if courts don't accept this proposed modification, Trump's order is likely to spark legal challenges arguing that the "makeshift facilities" and indefinite detention of families the White House is demanding run afoul of the terms of the Flores Settlement.
In a statement on Wednesday, Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, argued that Trump's executive order is a substance-free attempt to "placate Americans who have been rightly outraged by their government's repugnant policies, including separating children and babies from their parents and housing them in cages."
"Jailing families is not an acceptable solution to putting children in cages. The best--and safest--place for these children is with their families and in their communities," Hincapie concluded. "The Trump administration pretends that alternatives to detention don't exist. This is false. There are numerous alternatives that are both more humane and less costly, but this president refuses to use them."
In the face of mounting domestic and international backlash over his administration's inhumane practice of forcibly ripping families apart at the U.S.-Mexico border, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain families together, a policy Amnesty International decried as just "another way to punish parents and children for seeking protection."
"The United States cannot continue to treat vulnerable families fleeing horrific violence and persecution like criminals. It is time to end family detention once and for all."
--Denise Bell, Amnesty International
"Make no mistake--this executive order is a betrayal of families fleeing violence and persecution," Denise Bell, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Amnesty International USA, said in a statement after Trump signed the order. "The United States cannot continue to treat vulnerable families fleeing horrific violence and persecution like criminals. We must do everything we can to ensure protection for people who have lost everything. It is time to end family detention once and for all."
While Trump insisted during remarks to reporters on Wednesday that he decided to sign the executive order--which was drafted by DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen--because he has "compassion" for immigrant children, the order does absolutely nothing to reunite the thousands of families that the White House has already separated and continues the administration's so-called "zero tolerance" policy.
\u201cThis Executive Order is a sham. By not ending zero tolerance, President Trump is keeping families in jail. Children in jail.\n\nAll he\u2019s done is trade one form of child abuse for another. https://t.co/sjobgbP9V4\u201d— Rep. Barbara Lee (@Rep. Barbara Lee) 1529528422
Echoing Lee in a series of tweets on Wednesday, the advocacy group Women's March notes that "instead of imprisoning children in separate internment camps away from their parents, this administration will now imprison children in the same internment camps as their parents."
\u201cThis Executive Order was not an act of compassion. Locking families in in prison camps is not an act of compassion.\n\nWe are more determined than ever to rise up against this administration and demand an end to the zero-tolerance policy that criminalizes immigrants and their kids.\u201d— Women's March (@Women's March) 1529522532
Trump's executive order comes after weeks of constant lies by White House officials and Republican lawmakers, who repeatedly claimed that the family separations adhered to the letter of the law and that "Congress alone" could remedy the humanitarian catastrophe the president and his racist team of advisers manufactured.
As Buzzfeedexplains, Trump's order instructs "DHS to keep custody over families while both criminal and administrative immigration proceedings are pending" and "directs the defense secretary to provide any existing facilities that could be used to detain families together, and to build more as needed."
"Jailing families is not an acceptable solution to putting children in cages. The best--and safest--place for these children is with their families and in their communities."
--Marielena Hincapie, National Immigration Law Center
The order also directs White House lawyers to request a modification of the 1997 Flores Settlement, which states that federal officials must "place each detained minor in the least restrictive setting appropriate" and release minors "without unnecessary delay."
As the New York Timesnotes, if courts don't accept this proposed modification, Trump's order is likely to spark legal challenges arguing that the "makeshift facilities" and indefinite detention of families the White House is demanding run afoul of the terms of the Flores Settlement.
In a statement on Wednesday, Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, argued that Trump's executive order is a substance-free attempt to "placate Americans who have been rightly outraged by their government's repugnant policies, including separating children and babies from their parents and housing them in cages."
"Jailing families is not an acceptable solution to putting children in cages. The best--and safest--place for these children is with their families and in their communities," Hincapie concluded. "The Trump administration pretends that alternatives to detention don't exist. This is false. There are numerous alternatives that are both more humane and less costly, but this president refuses to use them."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.