Standing Between Border Control and Immigrant Families

Published: June 20, 2018, 2:38 p.m.

Last month, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions vowed to enforce a \u201czero tolerance\u201d policy when it comes to immigration. Here\u2019s one way he described how this would look: "If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law," he said. "If you don\u2019t like that, then don\u2019t smuggle children over our border." Months before he made this promise, Sessions had already started making good on it. Three weeks prior, the The New York Times had reported that since October, more than 700 children have been taken from adults claiming to be their parents, including more than 100 children under the age of four. As Sessions\u2019 immigration policies have drawn national attention, evangelical leaders have been increasingly speaking out. A letter from the Evangelical Immigration Table said this to President Trump: While illegal entry to the United States can be a misdemeanor criminal violation, past administrations have exercised discretion in determining when to charge individuals with this offense, taking into account the wellbeing of children who may also be involved. A \u201czero tolerance\u201d policy removes that discretion\u2014with the effect of removing even small children from their parents. The traumatic effects of this separation on these young children, which could be devastating and long-lasting, are of utmost concern. Other Christian female leaders also started a #notwithoutmychild campaign in which they wrote a letter with more than 2,500 signatures to Sessions and Department of Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Sister Norma Pimental, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley on the border of Mexico, has seen most of this situation unfold firsthand. \u201cWe need to look at our laws and make sure we protect our laws and country, but at the same time, we cannot overlook that we are talking about human beings,\u201d said Sister Norma. \u201cOur laws can be humane and can be a process that can address things correctly without ignoring that these are human beings, and we must listen to their story and understand why they\u2019re here.\u201d Sister Norma joined associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss the reality of what\u2019s happening on the United States\u2013Mexico border, her relationship with border control, and what impact the attorney general\u2019s words have on those traveling north.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices