Border policy is un-American

Make no mistake about it, America’s new policy against refugees and those seeking asylum is an immoral, unjust, evil abomination.

The Trump administration is primarily responsible for this anti-American process. Not only have they repeatedly stoked xenophobic fears of all immigrants, but now they have instituted a series of policies contrary to the United States’ values in refusing the rights of asylum for individuals as specified by international and federal law.

This has recently resulted in the gross separation of children from their parents at the southern border. This does not involve immigrants crossing the border to seek work, which is a completely different category. What we see are individuals traveling thousands of miles, mostly from Central America, fleeing violence, crime, poverty and abuse. These are all reasons they are entitled to seek asylum in the United States.

Children have been ripped from their parents, many under false pretenses, and mostly sequestered in cage-like environments with little opportunity for early reconciliation.

In addition, the attorney general recently enjoined the possibility of asylum if adults are domestically abused or victims of gang violence. The justification for such action includes misleading biblical citations which, in the past, have been used to condone adherence to British rule during the American Revolution and long used to support slavery.

This madness will only end when enough good people convince the administration that such policy is inconsistent with who we are as Americans. Now is that time.