Trump was elected mainly on the promise of getting tough on illegal immigration.

By A. Govea

We all remember the rhetoric, so I will not repeat it. I even got an email after the election from one of our readers that warned me that if I was not legal, Trump was coming for me in his first 100 days. Well, he didn’t, and I am (legal 4 generations). As for him, Quien Sabe (Who knows). Well, Trump kept his promise to hunt down criminal immigrants, and then he added any immigrant with his so-called Zero Tolerance program. Causing terror, havoc, and heartache all over our country.

   His zero-tolerance policy included separating children from their parents, well, that took it to another level. We all watched in horror as they snatched children from their parent’s arms, crying and saying No mi dejas (Do not leave me). The immigration facilities where both adults and children were housed resembled animal holding pens. Children picked up at the border were being flown out to as far away as New York. Anyone with a heart had to hold back tears at the sight of total disgrace for humanity. Most could not believe this was happening on U.S. soil, but it was.

  Our community fought back through protests, marches, calls to elected officials, and LULAC was at the forefront of many of these actions. I, for one, marched in Fort Worth and Dallas and also emailed and called my Washington officials. Finally, after intense pressure, POTUS caved and stopped the policy of separating children from their parents. However, some he has never stopped. (Please see the timeline below for Trump administration policies on immigrant children.) Next came an effort to reunite the children back with their parents. This led to the realization that records were very lax, so many of them could not be reunited with their parents, at least not quickly. 

  Netflix just premiered a documentary titled Immigration Nation that has been hailed as the most comprehensive look at ICE. So much so that the Trump administration attempted to stop its release till after the election. In this documentary, you will go on real immigration roundups with agents to apprehend criminal aliens. Which, at its core, makes sense. As a wanted criminal, whether a citizen or not must be brought to justice. Pero, they also sweep other folks that have not violated the law but have no legal status. These they label collaterals, which, if you see the Netflix Doc, are encouraged to bring in to increase the numbers. Also, you will witness children being removed from parents, which is gut-wrenching to witness. Most of the agents featured are Latino, and I will let you decide what you think of them. However, I believe I would instead go back to my teen years as a dishwasher rather than work as an ICE agent.  

  As for the real question of “Where are the children,” the answer is complicated, and it may take a (Please God an administration charge) to fully find out. Many children went to immigration facilities, foster care, or other programs that supposedly have experience in childcare. Recently a video surfaced from the valley that children being housed at the Hampton Inn Hotel. Reportable in March as a response to the pandemic, they deported many children to their country of origin. Which, in most cases, puts them in danger, and sometimes certain death. What is that number, and how many are in Mexico border towns awaiting status ruling? Nobody seems to be able to give a straight answer. Many ask, what can I do to help?

  Other than storming the immigration facilities which many of us would like to do, you can; Contact your Washington representative, and if you do not know who that is, you can find out by going to USA.Gov.  Elected officials donate to the Kids in Need of defense fund or the ACLU immigrant legal defense fund. Please visit their sites to find out more, I have and have already gotten involved with them. I will share additional information as I get it. Pero, we must continue to loudly raise our voices for the children because they are not just children, “They are our children.”