Independence Day For Who?

While families celebrated the 4th of July last night, activists shut down the streets of downtown Sacramento in solidarity with the Occupy ICE movement which is growing nationwide. The Separation of Families continues to be at the center of discussion around human rights issues across this country, as continuous reports of child abuse, sexual assault and child trafficking surface (NBC News).

Growing concern and outcry has spread as legislation continues to pass under Trump's administration, violating the human rights of children and families. Operation Streamline, commonly used for the mass sentencing of children and families in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, hit California federal courts July 2nd, creating heightened resistance throughout the state. This 2005 policy of 'zero tolerance' was enacted under the Obama administration, prosecuting persons for re-entry into this country as felons in the federal criminal justice system, including infants, toddlers and children (American Immigration Council).

Under this policy judges have been permitted to hold hearings where toddlers and minors are expected to legally represent themselves in court, without an attorney, a parent or guardian, being denied due process (Now This). Court observation reports have notated children as young as 3 years of age have been sentenced 7 to 9 years in federal prison for walking across a line the United States government has deemed a border.

Questions continue to go unanswered as children in the thousands, who have been turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, continue to be unaccounted for. Where are these missing children? Communities have gathered demanding the whereabouts of the missing children as well as the release of children and families incarcerated in ICE facilities across the United States.

Separating children from their families is a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), children's rights, human rights, the 13th amendment of the Constitution of the United States and the U-VISA and T-VISA programs, as well as several treaties, such as the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which superceeds U.S. state and federal laws.

The ongoing abuse of authority and ignorance of the law by the Trump administration will not derail the nation's demand for families to be reunited and released. Communities will no longer be silent as long as children are enslaved in dog kennels and under attack. The children's movement will bring about the next revolution.