Success: Trump Signs Order to Stop Separating Families

Target: Donald Trump, President of the United States

Goal: Support the end of the policy allowing immigrant children to be forcibly separated from their parents, and ensure that all families be reunited and not cruelly detained.

President Trump has signed an executive order to axe the inhumane and undemocratic policy that allowed thousands of migrant families to be separated at the border, amidst massive criticism from both parties and public petitions like this one at ForceChange. In the last month, 2,342 children were separated from their parents and kept in shelters, unsure if they would ever see their families again. This trauma, in addition to the often terrible and dangerous conditions that forced these families to seek asylum in the U.S. in the first place, raised huge public outcry, especially when the White House doubled down on the policy, calling it a “great deterrent” against immigration. Trump’s choice to reverse this stance and to stop ripping children from their parents is undeniably a victory, despite the fact that it comes after days of officials asserting that only Congress could make such a move.

The order calls for families to be detained together instead of separately while they await court dates, and requires the Defense Secretary to find housing for them, including building housing if necessary. It makes an exception in cases “when there is a concern that detention of an alien child with the child’s alien parent would pose a risk to the child’s welfare,” and then calls for the family not to be detained together. However, there are still significant issues with this order: first and foremost, it says nothing about reuniting the families that have already been torn apart. As Representative John Lewis stated on the House floor, “As we stand here, a five-year-old woke up in a cage.” Additionally, as Senator Kamala Harris tweeted, “This Executive Order doesn’t fix the crisis. Indefinitely detaining children with their families in camps is inhumane and will not make us safe.”

The order is a step in the right direction, but forward momentum must continue. Sign below to support the end of the unjust policy separating migrant families, and demand that more be done to reunite families and ensure they are safe and comfortable.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear President Trump,

Thank you for signing the order to put a stop to the unjust, inhumane, and undemocratic separation of migrant families. This type of cruelty should never be allowed to happen, let alone on American soil. It is your responsibility to ensure that our country stands for equality and justice, which it cannot do if our government is caging traumatized children and removing them from their parents.

While this order is a vital step in the right direction, your administration must continue to do more. As Senator Kamala Harris puts it, “This Executive Order doesn’t fix the crisis. Indefinitely detaining children with their families in camps is inhumane and will not make us safe.” She also points out the glaring shortcoming that this executive order does not address the thousands of children who have already been torn from their families. “When will they see their parents again? They must be reunited immediately.” I support the move to stop the separation of families, and urge you to ensure justice, equality, and compassion by reuniting families and treating them with dignity.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Charles Edward Miller