The separation of families at the border has been a major issue since early 2016 when the Zero Tolerance Policy came into effect. This meant any immigrant who was caught crossing the border illegally would be prosecuted without taking into consideration that the individual had children, was pregnant, or had medical issues. Many families were separated and worst of all the U.S Department of Homeland Security was not keeping track and many families could not be reunited.
In an recent article published by Immigration Impact, explains that though the red flags of this issue were clear it went ignored. Advocates were able to prove that the government was aware of the separations that were occurring but did nothing to stop it from happening. Officials argue there was an attempt to keep track, but reports indicated otherwise and show that officials only gathered little information about the families.
It is clear the government was not fully prepared with the proper technology to keep track of the families that were being separated which meant they were unable to unite them back. The government was conscious it was causing a lot of harm, yet nothing has been done to fix this issue. Government needs take into consideration the feelings and emotions these migrant families endure; the Zero Tolerance Policy needs to be rethought and perhaps should only be applied to only certain individuals and not allow it to affect families with children.
Leave a comment!