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June 21, 2018

Family Separations and Detentions at the Border

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Table Talk: Family Conversations about Current Events

For Parents, Families, and Caregivers (Ages 11 and up)


Topic Summary

In the past several years, migrants from Central America have been increasingly seeking refuge and protection in the United States from three countries known as the “Northern Triangle”—Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. In large part, they are seeking asylum (government protection and a safe haven after fleeing persecution in their home country). In 2014, there was a surge of unaccompanied minors attempting to come to the U.S., primarily children traveling without parents or family members who were detained on the southern border.

Since October 2017, studies revealed that more than 700 children were removed from adults they were accompanying at the border. In May 2018, however, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the new official policy of the government, an expanded “zero-tolerance policy” for migrant families seeking to cross the border. This policy announcement indicated that all migrants seeking to cross the border without documentation would be referred to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for prosecution of a crime, rendering their children unaccompanied minors. Children accompanying adults would, therefore, be deliberately separated from their parents to be held at juvenile shelters with the adults at adult detention facilities.

Both Attorney General Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defended this policy. Sessions said, "We cannot and will not encourage people to bring their children by giving them blanket immunity from our laws" and Nielsen remarked, "We have to do our job. We will not apologize for doing our job. We have sworn to do this job."

In recent months, the news has been filled with horrific stories of children being ripped from their parents at the border and placed in detention centers and shelters, including 2,000 children separated from their parents during the first six-week period after the policy was announced. Images of children held in cages in warehouse converted detention facilities and the audio of children screaming for their parents have generated widespread outrage and heartbreak. 

In June 2018, dozens of protest demonstrations were held across the country. There is a nationwide rally planned for June 30 in Washington, D.C. and sister marches are expected in other cities across the country to protest these policies. Many religious groups also oppose the policy. Two recent public opinion polls show that most people in the U.S. oppose this policy: a June 18 poll released by CNN found that two-thirds of Americans oppose the policy and a Quinnipiac University poll of American voters released the same day found similar results.

On June 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order which claimed to end family separations at the border. However, it does not guarantee that families will not be separated and it allows for immigrant children and families to be detained (i.e. in jail) indefinitely. In addition, the Order did not specify a plan to reunite the thousands of children, some as young as three months old, who have already been separated from their parents.

In both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Democrats have introduced legislation to stop family separations at the border. Every Democratic senator has signed on to the “Keep Families Together Act,” a bill introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California in early June with the aim of keeping migrant families together. The companion bill in the House was introduced on June 19 by Reps. Nadler (D-NY) and Lofgren (D-CA). It currently has 190 co-sponsors, all Democrats.

Questions to Start the Conversation

  • What have you heard about children and their parents being separated and in jail at the U.S border?  

  • What are your thoughts and feelings about this situation?

  • What do you think it is like for these children to be separated from their parents?

  • What do you think it might be like for families to have to stay in detention centers?

  • Is there a connection that we, as a family, have to the current situation on the border?

  • What more do you want to know about what is happening?

Questions to Dig Deeper

(See the Additional Resources section for articles and information that address these questions.)

  • Have you heard about other groups of people seeking asylum and what do you know about that? 

  • Do you think families should be held in jail cells while they are waiting to go to court?

  • What kind of message does the indefinite detention of families and children send to our society and the world as a whole?

  • If you were a U.S. Senator or Representative what would you do?  How would you vote on the bills that have been introduced to keep families together and make sure they are treated with compassion?

  • In addition to the steps already being taken, what do you think should be done about the “zero tolerance” policy?

Ideas for Taking Action

Ask: What can we do to help? What individual and group actions might make a difference?

  • Help to organize an educational forum in your community, school or house of worship to share information and discuss the family separation policy; come up with some actions your community can engage in to make a difference.  

  • Sign ADL’s petition urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end the “zero tolerance” policy and keep families together, or create a petition of your own.

  • As a family, write a letter to your Members in Congress that expresses your views about family separation at the border and the ”Keep Families Together Act.” You can use this link to find your representative and this link to find your Senators.


Additional Resources


The Anti-Defamation League's Table Talk is a great opportunity for parents and family members to engage children in rich conversation, impart important values and encourage lifelong interest in the news and the world around them. Click here to check out the entire collection of Table Talk: Family Conversations About Current Events.


This Table Talk piece from the Anti-Defamation League website was published and updated on June 21, 2018 and can be found here.

ADL

ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.

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