"...I have never seen such degradation and inhumanity. " - Atlantic

[orangecrush]

Over the past week, reports have emerged of hundreds of migrant children being held in unbelievably harsh conditions at government facilities on and near the southern U.S. border. The stories have shocked many Americans, and led to deep division on the part of House Democrats over how to fund an emergency humanitarian-aid package.


To understand more about this crisis, I called Elora Mukherjee, a professor at Columbia Law School and the director of the school’s Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. She has been working on the Flores settlement, an agreement that outlines how the U.S. government must care for unaccompanied migrant children, since 2007. Mukherjee has represented and interviewed multiple children and families. She was at the Clint detention facility in Texas last week, along with a group of lawyers and doctors, to interview the children held there. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Lizzie O’Leary: Tell me a little about your involvement and what you saw.

Elora Mukherjee: I have been representing and interviewing immigrant children and their families in detention. Most recently, I was in Brownsville, Texas, interviewing children detained at Casa Padre last July. In March of this year, I was in Homestead, Florida, interviewing children detained there. Both of those facilities were very controversial and have received a lot of coverage. Last week I was in Clint, and the conditions we found were appalling. In 12 years representing immigrant children in detention, I have never seen such degradation and inhumanity. Children were dirty, they were scared, and they were hungry.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/592540/

[lpbk2713]

1. Turn it all over to the United Nations.

Trump is out of control.

[FirstLight]

2. AGREED!!!! Where is the UN!!!??? these are violations !!!

[orangecrush]

3. Time for democrats

to exercise control.

[infinite_wisdom]

21. He would just ignore it

and his base would consider it another win for Trump if the UN were to try and step in and do something.

If the Supreme Court stepped in he would likely just ignore that too.

He has to be voted out in 2020 and then criminally charged. Hopefully he dies in prison. In a perfect world.

[MontanaMama]

4. Keep calling members of Congress.

Especially the reps who say they are pro-life. They hypocrisy is stunning.

[orangecrush]

11. Done that.

My Senator is Bob Casey.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

18. I have been calling my senators every week for the last six months now.

An aid listens, takes notes, thanks you for your call. END OF STORY.

I don't know what it will take for this depravity to end, but I am sick of just calling and writing letters and seeing nothing come of it. As a veteran (NAVY), I did not wear the uniform for a career for some future thug poser to behave like this in the WH.

It's time to start going - en masse - to their offices.

[RKP5637]

5. It's incredible. I think he's trying to emulate Hitler or someone, just hasn't gone all the way, yet

Whatever, he is out of control and has no idea WTF he's doing on many fronts. Iran ... FFS, the way he's handling that we might be headed for some war and it will not be a cake walk for the US. I'm no fan of Pence, but I wish they would remove Trump and give Pence a shot at running the country. Getting time for Amendment 25 - Presidential Disability and Succession.

[orangecrush]

6. He'll get there

The more time he is given, the closer he gets.

[RKP5637]

14. I think the GOP congress does not give a damn what he does, really. Just as long as they stay in

power and the stock market financials are good. Sad to say, but we are living in a really fucked up country, and I seriously mean that. FFS, imagine if he were to win in 2020. At least 1/3 of the US is off it's rocker, maybe more. It's dangerous as hell. Also, I think the US is getting more hateful all the time. I think millions of Americans could care less about the concentration camps. This is how it all starts, I think ...

[Stuart G]

7. Everyone in the U.S. should read the last paragraph..k and r..very sad. This is our country.

[orangecrush]

8. I am reeling

in shock and sadness.

[yaesu]

9. these corporate concentration camps get $750 per child, per day, the kids should be living better

than tRump. nt

[orangecrush]

10. I just read

that you can get a room at a Trump hotel for less.

[smirkymonkey]

23. For that much money, they should be living like princes and princesses!

Not only are they treating these children worse than animals, but there are a number of individuals in the republican party making a fortune off this atrocity.

[ffr]

12. A discraceful period in our nation's great history.

Where the minority push around the majority and we somehow put up with it.

[SunSeeker]

13. K & R for exposure.

[Lonestarblue]

15. Time for a House Select Committee on Migrant Child Abuse

Hold public hearings and get everything out in the open. It’s disgraceful that the media and Democratic members of Congress are not allowed into these facilities to see what is happening there. What are they hiding? We taxpayers are footing the bill, and we have a right to know how our money is being spent. If private contractors are delivering substandard services while overcharging, they need to be fired and prosecuted for fraud.

I have no Democratic reps or senators, or I would be on the phone daily demanding this investigation. If anyone who agrees with this idea has Democratic representation, please contact that person with this suggestion.

[orangecrush]

16. Done that.

And call your reps anyway.

[Lonestarblue]

19. Thank you.

And you’re right—futile as it may be, the Republicans who are turning a blind eye to this atrocity need to hear from voters. I will call as many times as I can.

[orangecrush]

20. ...

[Mr.Bill]

17. This is not a problem that you fix by throwing money at it.

It goes way deeper than that. There are people in our government that are enjoying doing this to these children.

[orangecrush]

22. Stephen Miller

to be precise.

[Mr.Bill]

24. He's at the root of it, but so is Trump.

Trump has a long history of hating brown people. And it takes a lot of willing henchmen to inflict this much pain on this many people.

I wouldn't be a participant in this mess if you paid me a million dollars a day. These people are enjoying it.

[orangecrush]

25. Agree.