I’ve been working on a more thorough and thoughtful essay on the current state of children and immigration.  More specifically, the President Donald J. Trump Administration’s policy of separating children from their parents upon illegally crossing the southern border of the United States as a deterrent to future southern immigrants.  But I cannot go any longer without expressing feelings which I believe to be meaningful on this subject, so here are a few of my thoughts on this devastating situation.

Most of my readers are likely familiar with the Trump Administration’s policy on this matter, but in the case that you are not, here lies the gist of it: Upon illegally entering our country from the south, adults, a great number of whom are parents, are arrested and transported to one “detention center” or “holding facility,” while their children are–very literally–ripped from their arms by U.S. state and federal authorities.  The authorities then detain the children regardless of age, as long as they are minors, forcing them into different buses, vans or other modes of transport, then shuttle them to different facilities.  These facilities are sometimes located in different cities and often in different states from those in which their parents find themselves.  The detained generally receive no form of acknowledgement as to where their children, parents or other family members are being held, nor do they receive updates on the welfare of their children or parents, siblings or grandparents, or other relations: no notifications of court status, or even whether family members have been deported back to the country from which they were originally fleeing.  Many of these “kids” aren’t even yet kids, they are infants and toddlers, who not only lack the ability to speak English, but lack the ability to speak any language fluently on their own behalf.  They have no voice with which to ask questions, express concerns, fears, anger nor sadness; no voice with which to express illness or fatigue, physical trauma, nor any sort of emotional or mental trauma that could occur to any child living under this level of stress and circumstance.  For those who may live with chronic illnesses–such as juvenile diabetes, asthma, Crohn’s disease or even food allergies–but do not have a way to readily communicate such medical information to U.S. state and federal authorities, their health and lives may be very much at risk under such arrangements.  Those considered fortunate are the siblings who are kept together, although it is becoming more apparent, as time goes on, that many, particularly of varied ages and of different genders, are not.

While all of this is transpiring in our beloved country, our U.S. Senate just passed a $716Billion defense bill on Monday.  That’s $716,000,000,000 on defense.  While I usually don’t support allocating such an outrageous number towards defense alone, as much of it has been historically used for offensive engagements and very little goes to even adequately care for our troops, veterans, and their families once our valiant service members have returned home, I’m seriously thinking that a large portion of this amount should be placed into a trust, where it can earn interest over the next decade or two.  This, because I’m actually considering the long-term global consequences of the current southern border-crossing policy, and the innocent children unwittingly involved who will one day grow into adulthood; it is rather evident that the current administration has not given this one moment of thought.  My political frustration is simple: it truly doesn’t take an expert to realize that all of those “bad guys” who “hate America” of whom Mr. Trump is incessantly speaking–likening southern border crossers to vermin, bugs, and rapists–will likely come out of this situation with a great deal of hate in their hearts for the America they thought they knew as a safe and hopeful country–the very place from which so many were seeking asylum.  I fear that future terrorists are being created out of this very situation which Mr. Trump has concocted.  It is evident that no one in or near the White House stopped to consider the long-term effects of this horrendous policy and the long-term implications it will have on directly-impacted immigrant families and children, but also on the U.S. itself, over the coming decades.  In all of our efforts as a nation to reduce the threat of global and national terrorism, Mr. Trump has just created the perfect incubator in which to create and grow a new brand from an entirely new group of people.

The president’s, his cabinet’s, and the Republican-led Congress’s lack of foresight will certainly lead us into future conflict, be it physical, financial, or diplomatic, when the children they have taken from their families become adults in the oft undiplomatic, undemocratic and violent countries from which they were running.  I hope we are prepared for the impending, yet predictable, repercussions of our government’s abhorrent and immoral actions of today.