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What you need to know about the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy

By Miriam Valverde on Wednesday, June 6th, 2018 at 10:3 8 a.m.

The Trump administration hasintroduced a “zero-tolerance”immigration policy. This policysays all people who illegally enterthe United States should beprosecuted. Prosecuted is anotherword for “arrested and put on trial.”

The new policy is separating parentsfrom their children when they enterthe country together. The parentsare being prosecuted for illegalentry to the U.S. The children areplaced in the custody of a sponsor, such as a relative or foster home. Or they are held in a shelter.

More than 650 children were separated from their parents during a two-week period in May becauseof this new policy.

The Trump administration argues that prosecuting immigrants is not new a policy. “The policy hasramped up greatly with the new administration,” according to Peter Margulies, an immigration lawprofessor. “Before Trump came into office, most families were held together or sent backimmediately. Some were allowed into the country. Now, prosecution has become the policy.”

Prosecutions and separations happened during the Obama administration but they did not happen asoften. This is because they cost a lot of money and are time-consuming. “Other administrationsbelieved that the ‘prosecute-first’ option was harsh,” Margulies said.

‘Zero-tolerance’ policy

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the increased arrests are needed. He says there is a crisis at thesouthwest border of the U.S. He hopes the “zero-tolerance” policy will decrease the number ofarrests for illegal entry.

When an adult is arrested for illegal entry, the child is turned over to the U.S. Health and HumanServices Department. They are responsible for placing the child with someone while the child’simmigration case is figured out.

From May 6 to May 19, 658 children were separated from their parents due to the zero-tolerancepolicy.

Some have added the “zero-tolerance” child numbers to recent reports of 1,500 immigrant children“lost” by the administration.

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The government said that in late 2017 it had been unable to reach 1,475 children after placing them

with sponsors. But these were children who came alone, not with their parents.

Trump administration rationale

The Trump administration has been considering separating families at the border since he was

elected.

In March 2017, DHS Secretary John Kelly told CNN he was considering separating children from

parents to prevent illegal immigration. “The children will be taken care of— put into foster care or

whatever. But the big point is they choose to come illegally into the United States. The Department

of Homeland Security is constantly looking at options that discourage people from even beginning

the journey.”

Sessions added, “It’s certainly not our goal to separate children. But I do think it’s clear. It is fair to

warn people who come to the country unlawfully bringing children with them that they can’t expect

that they’ll always be kept together.”

NBC News reported that officials are running out of space to shelter children separated from their

parents. A buildup is causing overstays at “border stations” that serve as the first stop for children

before they are transferred for longer-term placement.

Calls against the policy

Immigrant supporters and humanitarian groups have strongly protested against the “zero-tolerance”

policy. Many of the families arrested at the border come from Central America. They are running

away from gang violence and poverty and seeking asylum (shelter) in the United States.

Jennifer Podkul of Kids in Need of Defense, said a United Nations agreement says people needing

asylum can’t be prosecuted for entering without documentation because people needing asylum

often do not have time/ability to get proper permission before they are forced to flee.”

A United Nations human rights office has also called for an end to the practice of separating

children and parents, saying that busing immigration detention and family separation is against our

human rights beliefs.”

Oregon senator Jeff Merkley said he tried to get into a building holding immigrant children in

Brownsville, Texas, on June 3, but was refused entry. He was able to access a different facility in

McAllen, Texas.

In a radio interview. Sessions was asked if he would go with Merkley or help him get into a facility

holding immigrant children. Sessions said he’d be glad to talk to him about it.

Merkley tweeted in response: “Glad the Attorney General is willing to talk. Let’s meet and discuss

this administration’s policy of separating children from their parents. AG Sessions, will you come

with me to see a facility where these children are being held?”

As of this report’s publication, the agency had not publicly replied.

Adapted from

Immigrant moms in SeaTac prison ‘could hear theirchildren screaming’By Casey Martin • Jun 10, 2018

Members of NWDC Resistance chant during the Solidarity Day protest outside of the Federal DetentionCenter in SeaTac. Photo credit: Daniel Berman.

Dozens of moms recently jailed in SeaTac didn’t realize what was happening when they weretorn from their children.

“In most cases, they were taken into a different room like, ‘Here we’re going take yourphotograph,” said U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal. “Then after the photo was taken, they were takento a different room from their child. So they never got to say goodbye.”

They could hear their children screaming in the other room, Jayapal said.

“Screaming for their moms, asking for their moms. And they had to sit there and listen to thatand still not be able to see them or hold them.”

Jayapal was able meet with some of the 177 women detained inside the jail. She said she wasthe first person to meet with many of these women; a few have also met with attorneys from theNorthwest Immigrant Rights Project.

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“Unless they ask for an attorney, they don’t get given one,” she said.

Jayapal said about half of the women had their children taken away. These women were waiting

at the border to seek asylum when they were separated from their children.

Jorge Baron, the executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, said he was also

able to meet with women who had turned themselves in to Border Patrol seeking protection.

Two mothers were separated from their daughters, ages 11 and 15.

“They told me about walking into this room and at some point the officials said, mother go this

way and daughter go the other way — and no warning that they were about to be separated, no

chance to say goodbye,” Baron said. “That was the last time these mothers had seen their

daughters, about four weeks ago.”

Baron said no one had explained to the women what would happen to them during the process

and his organization is trying to provide legal assistance to as many people as they can.

“We are hopeful that we’ll be able to get some of those people released so that they can be

reunified with their children. But I have to be honest and say that right now it’s looking pretty

daunting given the circumstances that these women are facing,” he said.

On Saturday, protesters and lawmakers gathered at the prison. Gov. Jay Inslee condemned the

treatment of the detainees. Inslee was joined by state Attorney General Bob Ferguson, King

County Executive Dow Constantine, and Jayapal.

Jayapal says they described the conditions of the federal prison including freezing cold jail cells

and having to go many days without being allowed to bathe.

These women have been imprisoned in SeaTac less than a week but have been in custody for

more than a month.

The ages of the children taken from their mothers range from 3 to 16 years old. Most of the

children are not in Washington state.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says the children are in the care of U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services.

http://kuow.org/post/irnmigrant-moms-seatac-prison-could-hear-their-children-screaming

Actor faces uncertain future in the U.S. due to immigrantstatusBy PRI, adapted by Newsela staff12/05/2017

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Marvel Studios makes comic books and films based on comic books. “Black Panther” is itsnewest release. It’s a movie about the king of a technologically advanced African society. Thesociety hides itself from the world, pretending to be simple and powerless. Bambadjan Bambais an actor in the film. He was also hiding something big, too.

That changed last week. Bamba told the world that he is an undocumented immigrant.

Immigrants are people who leave their country of birth to live somewhere else.

When someone wants to immigrate, they have to fill out paperwork. This gives them permissionto move to another country. It can take a lot of time and can be very difficult. As a result, manypeople immigrate without this necessary paperwork. These people are called undocumentedimmigrants.

Bamba made his announcement in a time of uncertainty. Last month, President Trump said hemay end a program called DACA. DACA stands for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

President Obama passed DACA into law in 2012. People who were brought to the U.S. aschildren can participate. It allows them to live and work in the United States. There are roughly800,000 people protected under the program. Bamba is one of them.

Photo by: Vivien Killilea/Getty Images

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This Is No Time To Sit Back

Bamba says DACA is a big reason for his success as an actor. “I kind of feel like a fraud if

people who have so much less than me are coming out to fight and I’m just sitting in a corner. I

just can’t sit back and watch the news and sit and pray. I have to fight.”

Bamba was born in Ivory Coast, a country in West Africa. In the early 2000s a civil war broke

out. Bamba’s father moved his family to New York City for safety. There, they applied for

asylum. To earn asylum, people must show real reasons to fear for their safety in their home

country.

The U.S. did not give Bamba’s parents asylum. Bamba eventually was protected through

DACA.

Being an undocumented immigrant was a challenge for Bamba when he started working as an

actor. It created confusion for his employers.

He had to explain his situation again and again to movie directors and studios.

“I get offers to shoot movies in France and I can’t really go,” Bamba says. That’s because there

are strict rules for DACA recipients on leaving and entering the country. The fear spread to

many aspects of Bamba’s life. He never spoke publicly about being undocumented.

Movie Has A Strong Message

“No one really talks about your status,” he says. “Especially when you’re black and an

immigrant.” That’s because the majority of DACA recipients are Mexican and Central

American.

Now, Bamba has a daughter who’s nearly one. He thinks about his responsibility to her. He

worries they will be separated. Moreover, “Black Panther” is a movie that sends strong

messages of black pride. Historically, the Black Panthers were an activist group. Some people

believed the group was fighting for equality. Others saw the group as dangerous.

“Being on set it just was amazing. You look around and everyone’s black,” Bamba says.

“You look at this kind of movie and what it represents right now for Africa, for Africans. It’s

just amazing to just be a part of that movie.”

He hopes the movie will help draw attention to his message. Bamba is asking people to sign a

petition. Petitions are documents that gather signatures for a cause. Bamba’s petition asks movie

makers to support undocumented immigrants.

This is not a time to hide, Bamba says.

https://newsela.corn/read/DACA-undocurnented-actor/id/38405/

Some Americans are opening up their homes to Central AmericansBy Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff05/03/2018

SAN DIEGO, California — Blair Overstreet and her husband, Matt Dunn, live in San Diego.Their home has a small room for visitors. They decided to let a stranger use it.

They may have one of about 200 people from Central America. The people traveled as a groupon their way to the U.$.-Mexico line. It took weeks to arrive. Some call the group a caravan.

The group hopes to stay in the U.S.

President Donald Trump and others are angry about it, though. The people began asking forasylum on Tuesday. They asked to stay in the U.S. to be safe. Some left their home countriesbecause of war or other problems.

People Are Helping The Caravan Find Places To Go

Overstreet and Dunn want to help. They said they are happy to provide a safe space forsomeone. The couple and others like them are taking a stand. The nation seems divided on whoshould be allowed to live in the United States. People fight about it. The Central Americangroup is the latest part of talks.

Photo by: Alejandro Tamayo/San Diego Union Tribune/TNSon April 29, 2012.

Many of the group planned to talk to U.S. officials in Tijuana, Mexico. It is a city at the

border. They started their journey weeks ago from southern Mexico.

Heather Cronk works for a group that is helping the caravan. She said about 75 people said

someone could stay with them. Some are from cities in California and New York. Others are

from country areas in Montana and North Dakota.

Cronk said it is more than helping those who need a place to go. Their message is different from

Trump’s, she said. “Where Trump closes doors, we open them,” she said.

It is not clear how many homes will be needed.

If They Can Stay, They Will Need A Place To Sleep

Erika Pinheiro is a lawyer who is helping the caravan. She said many in the group will ask for

asylum. They probably will not be allowed out into the U.S. right away, she said.

Many of them will be held by the government. They have to wait to see if they can stay. They

may be sent home.

Some people in the group have family in the U.S. They will want to stay with them if they can.

Still, it is important to have people open their homes, Pinheiro said. Some from the group will

have no place to stay. Others are not part of the group but need a place, she said.

The caravan is smaller than some groups. Two years ago, many people came from Haiti. They

asked for asylum.

President Trump Doesn’t Want Them To Stay

Louis DeSipio is a professor at the University of California. He said this group has been noticed

more. It is because of Trump’s response, he said. Trump does not like that the people in the

caravan are trying to stay in the U.S.

Immigrants have the right to ask for asylum. U.S. and world laws allow it. Trump has said he

would stop people in the group from entering, though.

Alex Desautels lives with her two children and husband in Oakland, California. She decided to

open her home. She saw it as a chance to help.

Desautels said some people do not want new people coming to this country. Still, she said, “We

welcome those who are in need.”