When President Trump came into office, he adopted a policy for separating migrant families who were moving to the US illegally through the Mexican border. The policy elicited mixed reactions with some calling for its abolishment. In June 2018, the President decided to sign an executive order that ended the use of the controversial policy. By that time, the government had already separated hundreds of families through the pilot program that was initiated in 2017. Even with the court ruling that required the government to reunite the separated family members, many children continue to live in small and deplorable facilities manned by the US government. Some of the children came on caravans some with families and others alone ( Wood, 2018 ). The young children who are separated from their families are usually sheltered in tents that are run by the Department of Health and Human Service. The Department of Health and Human Services usually try to place them with relatives who are already in the United States legally. Others are reconnected with their families in Mexico.
The US government usually claims that they have a valid reason for separating the children from their families since the approach has helped in stopping illegal immigration into the country ( Donato & Perez, 2017; Wood, 2018 ). However, such claims are not acceptable judging from how the separation occurs. Furthermore, the way the children are treated in the camps also leaves a lot to be desired. The United States government cannot justify why the children are being kept in deplorable conditions in the tents and treated as if they are less human compared to American children. If the government cared for the children, they should ensure that they live in a conducive environment where they have access to basic services and needs. In particular, the children should be well fed and given access to quality care and education services as they wait to be reconnected with their relatives. Failure to provide such services will ruin the lives and future of the children.
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References
Donato, K., & Perez, S. (2017). Crossing the Mexico-U.S. border: Illegality and children's migration to the United States. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 3 (4), 116-135. doi:10.7758/rsf.2017.3.4.07
Wood, L. (2018). Impact of punitive immigration policies, parent-child separation and child detention on the mental health and development of children. BMJ Paediatrics Open , 2 (1), e000338. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2018-000338
