In recent hours, the word “cruel” has been mentioned by international organizations, governments of several countries, human rights organizations, writers, and social activists to refer to the “Zero-Tolerance” policy of the United States government against migrants.
Videos, photographs, and audios have exposed the treatment minors who have been separated from their families receive. The parents of these children dared to enter a country without documents, which has turned them into criminals – according to U.S. laws. The fact that these minors cannot be incarcerated, per se, has led to them remaining in places resembling prisons.
Criminals for seeking a better future for themselves and their families? Criminals for trying to escape violence and poverty? It's clear that there is a world of difference between these “criminals” and the ones who steal and murder.
With these actions, the U.S. government pretends to stop the migration flow but in a very unilateral way, through fear, division, and in a manner which strays away from humanitarian goals.
According to official data, between May 5 and June 9, a total of 2, 235 families and 4, 548 people have been separated by U.S. authorities because of this situation.
The attitudes of Donald Trump were known since the first moment he announced he would be running for President for the Republican Party. He proved to be an intolerant person when he threw groundless accusations against the presence of immigrants in his country – particularly Mexicans – and his proposal of building a wall in the Mexico-U.S. border. Thus far, the U.S. Congress has managed to delay providing the resources needed to build the wall which is why the current family separation is seen as a means to pressure them.
At this moment, values like the defense of human rights – the banner of the United States – were cast aside to adopt a policy based on abuse. The announcement made yesterday from Washington that the United States leaves the UN Human Rights Council seems to confirm as much.
The right of all minors to a family and being with it has been violated by the prejudice of considering outsiders as a threat. The international community has begun to mobilize and shouldn't lose momentum. The support of governments such as the Mexican one becomes necessary and urgent.
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