Physically, Maine is far removed from the United States’ southern border, where children are being separated from their families. Nonetheless, the haunting realities of forceful family separations on the border are something that no one can afford to ignore.
This crisis demands action and outright repudiation from all corners of the country. By no fault of their own, children less than a year old are being held indefinitely in an unfamiliar country with people who speak an unfamiliar language, and they are deprived of even the simple comfort of their mother’s arms.
As it stands, there is no plan in place to reunite children who have already been separated from their parents. This is not merely a temporary inconvenience; the trauma these children are experiencing will never leave them. As a country, it is humiliating that our collective standard for morality has sunk so low that we disagree on whether children belong in their mother’s arms or in literal cages.
This is not a partisan question. Families risked everything to flee violence and horrendous living conditions, yet it was not until their arrival at the U.S. border at the end of a life-threatening journey that their children were taken from them.
As an organization, we believe there are no moral or political ambiguities regarding the forced separation of young children and their families. Let us be clear: At the very least, these immigrants deserve the basic human dignity of staying united as families.
Brody Haverly-Johndro
president, Maine College Democrats
Newport
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