Remember when you were a child? How sometimes the middle of the night, you went to your mother or father because you had a nightmare? How your parent comforted you? Now, in the middle of the night, children as young as a year or two are facing being taken out of familiar surrounds and thrown into some kind of “child protective services,” possibly to never see their parent again.
When ICE breaks into a home in the middle of the night to deport a single parent, the agents often don’t give them any time to make arrangements for their US citizen children, AND unlike what they are supposed to do with non-citizen children, ICE doesn’t track into what black hole the children go.
This comes from a government that claims it supports “family values.” Mothers, usually women who fled domestic violence in their home countries, AND who still have asylum claims pending so they should not be deported, are now being taken and deported so quickly that they have no time to make arrangements for their children. There are words to describe the people who created this nightmare. Hypocrite is a good start
Prayer for the Day
Hard pressed to loosen grips on self-preserving rules,
We use our laws to keep our differences defined;
Struggling to be moral and ethical in our actions towards others,
We still close our eyes to injustices done in our name.
God of compassion, forgive us the sins done in our name
Move us beyond acceptance of the unacceptable
In the name of the One we follow,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Some parents were showing up inconsolable because they did not know where their children were or who was caring for them. This is the new family separation crisis
Zain Lakhani, Women’s Refugee Commission
It’s stunning that we’re putting so much emphasis on hitting deportation numbers, and not thinking about all the collateral damage we’re doing. We’re traumatizing everybody involved in these situations and completely destabilizing their lives and causing long-term trauma.
,Leecia Welch, Children’s Rights
People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
The Gospel of Mark 10: 13-16