U.S. Divided Over “Zero Tolerance” for Immigration

For the past five weeks, the Trump administration has been exercising a “zero tolerance” policy toward illegal immigration. Under this new policy, roughly 70 children per day have been separated from their parents and sent to federal shelters run by the Department of Health and Human Services, while their parents wait to face prosecution. So far, more than 2,300 children have been separated from their families, provoking widespread public outrage. Here, Election Central takes a look at the effect “zero tolerance” is having on the United States.

How Is This Different?

The issue of illegal border crossings isn’t a new one. But what’s different is that, in the past, Border Patrol didn’t prosecute parents and take their children away. Rather, they allowed families to continue with the immigration process. This approach did lead to a larger problem: people began to realize that families crossing the border into the U.S. would be allowed to stay, which has led to a huge surge in the number of families trying to enter the country illegally.

Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy is an attempt to deal with this issue.

How Did the Public React?

Viral videos of sobbing children being separated from their parents, and photographs of children and teenagers being held in cage-like structures, sparked a nationwide public outcry. Outspoken opponents of the policy included Pope Francis, as well as Trump’s own wife Melania and daughter Ivanka. Activists held vigils and rallies all over the country, and chased Trump administration officials out of restaurants and other public places.

Related Links: Click this link to read a separate news story of other Republicans who have spoken out against the Trump family separation policy. And follow this link to hear about how former First Ladies have also spoken up in opposition.

The administration’s defense of their policy was simple. Thanks to a 1997 law known as “the Flores Settlement,” children can’t be detained for more than 20 days. Therefore, Trump argues, that leaves two choices: separate children from their parents and prosecute the parents, or let the families go. Under “zero tolerance,” the administration has opted to prosecute all cases, which meant taking the children out of the equation.

What’s Next?

President Trump eventually gave in to the immense political pressure against his new policy. On June 20, he signed an executive order saying that while the U.S. government will continue with its “zero tolerance” policy, and will continue to prosecute undocumented immigrants as criminals, parents and children will no longer be separated at the border. Instead, they will be detained together. Although this order means that families won’t be ripped apart anymore, it didn’t say anything about reuniting the 2,300 children who have already been separated from their parents. It also indicated that families would be detained for an indefinite period of time, which may well be illegal thanks to the Flores Settlement.

Related Link: If you want to see how the White House is portraying its position on this ongoing immigration controversy, click this link to visit the White House Web site.

Already, civil rights groups such as the ACLU are gearing up to begin challenging the Trump administration if families are held in custody for more than the 20-day limit. These groups have also proposed other alternatives solutions to the problem, such as placing immigrant families with sponsor families or releasing them to community-based groups rather than locking them away in detention centers.

What Do You Think? Write a letter to the editor in which you express your opinion about the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy for undocumented immigrants. Please remember to be respectful of other viewpoints with your response.