WASHINGTON — A bipartisan alliance of 75 former US attorneys has written an open letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions in hopes of stopping governmental operations of the Trump administration’s Zero Tolerance immigration policy.
Since its announcement by Sessions in May, said immigration reform has sparked immense controversy among those against such strict border crackdowns, given that the policy calls for the separation of immigrant families and the relocation of orphaned children to detention camps.
This policy refrains from instituting a constraint for the amount of time these children will spend in such detention camps, as their parents are jailed indefinitely and await prosecution for their illegal entry into the US.
In their letter, published Monday, June 18th, the attorneys state the claim that in this way, the policy promotes the inhumane treatment of innocent children — a “radical departure” from the intended values of the US Justice Department.
“As former U.S. Attorneys, we know that none of these consequences ― nor the policy itself ― is required by law. Rather, its implementation and its execution are taking place solely at your direction, and the unfolding tragedy falls squarely on your shoulders,” the attorneys candidly reveal in their letter to Sessions.
The attorneys plead with Sessions and theiisp administration to rescind the Zero Tolerance policy, saying that if the federal government held the power to institute such immigration reform, then they also have a say in whether or not operations under the policy continue.
President Trump, as well as Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, continue to publicly back the policy, claiming strict internal reform is the first step toward the greater prosperity of the country, ensured by heightened border control.
The controversy grows as lawmakers, concerned child care experts and other Americans refuse to quiet their voices raised against the injustice promoted by the Zero Tolerance policy — and the issue only continues spiraling as these attorneys have joined the crowd.
Various media outlets now find themselves in troubled waters, such as Fox News host Laura Ingraham, claiming that the conditions in which over 2,000 separated children have been placed between April 19th and May 31st are similar to summer camp.
“More kids are being separated from their parents and temporarily housed in what are essentially summer camps, or as The San Diego Union Tribune described them today, as basically looking like boarding schools,” Ingraham reported Monday.
As backlash continues against the Trump administration and his supporters in light of the continuation of the Zero Tolerance policy, several local organizations stand in agreement with the US attorneys’ letter. Although Republicans remain steadfast in their advocacy of the policy, many Americans are rather impatiently awaiting their next move.
