Family separation policy/ Trump immigration policy/ migrant families/ zero tolerance policy/ 2024 election fears/ child separation trauma/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ As Trump’s 2024 campaign reignites immigration fears, families separated under his previous “zero tolerance” policy still face emotional and legal challenges. Many are using their voices to ensure their stories aren’t forgotten amid anxieties about Trump’s potential return.
Separated Migrant Families’ Concerns Over Trump’s Potential Return Quick Look
- Billy’s Story: A migrant teen shares the lasting trauma from being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trump’s policy.
- 2024 Election Impact: Families fear Trump could revive harsh immigration policies, risking reunified families and pending asylum applications.
- Legal Status: Many separated families still have uncertain immigration statuses and fear mass deportations.
- Advocacy Efforts: Groups like Together & Free and the ACLU work to reunite families and address lingering trauma.
- Lasting Trauma: Many separated children, now teens and young adults, continue to deal with anxiety, guilt, and isolation.
Migrant Families Separated Under Trump Fear His Potential Return
Deep Look
As the U.S. heads into the 2024 presidential election, many families separated under former President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy are anxiously following the campaign. For 16-year-old Billy, who was separated from his father at the U.S.-Mexico border six years ago, the memories remain raw. Today, he keeps his past hidden from his friends at school, where he plays football and soccer. Yet, with the possibility of Trump’s return to office, Billy feels compelled to share his story to raise awareness of the lingering pain that the separation policy has left for thousands of migrant families like his.
The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy in 2018 led to the forced separation of children from their parents at the border, with the intent of prosecuting all illegal border crossers. This policy left families, like Billy’s, stranded across different states and countries, facing emotional and legal upheaval. Even now, families remain in legal limbo; some parents are still not reunited with their children, while others fear deportation under the temporary status they currently hold in the U.S. “It was a very painful thing that happened to us,” Billy shared, recalling his ordeal as a 9-year-old separated from his father. He uses only his first name, fearing it could affect his family’s asylum application.
Trump’s Immigration Stance and 2024 Campaign
As part of his 2024 campaign, Trump is once again prioritizing strict immigration policies, asserting that the Biden administration has failed to secure the southern border. Although the Trump campaign has not confirmed whether a similar family separation policy would be reinstated, his spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, recently vowed to implement “the largest deportation operation” targeting undocumented individuals and alleged criminals. Trump has defended the original policy, citing a belief that it reduced illegal immigration. He claimed, without evidence, that family separation “stopped people from coming by the hundreds of thousands.”
The Biden administration, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, has sought to highlight the harms of the “zero tolerance” policy. Harris’s campaign recently held an event featuring children affected by the policy, including Billy, who spoke about his experiences. Billy and other separated children are now using social media videos and public appearances to ensure that the painful consequences of family separation are not forgotten.
Fear of Another Wave of Family Separations
For the families involved, the fear of potential separation under a new Trump administration looms large. Many of the separated families remain in legal uncertainty, with their long-term status unresolved. Although a 2023 legal settlement restricts family separation as a policy until 2031, advocacy groups are concerned about potential loopholes. “The families we serve are scared,” said Anilú Chadwick Soltes of Together & Free, a group that helps support separated families. Advocacy organizations worry about possible policy exceptions, emphasizing that a clear political commitment will be essential to upholding the ban.
Under Trump’s original “zero tolerance” approach, parents crossing the border illegally were prosecuted, while their children were treated as unaccompanied minors and sent to shelters across the U.S. Following public backlash, Trump reversed the policy in June 2018, but reunification proved difficult due to the lack of coordinated record-keeping. Many parents were deported before they could reconnect with their children, further complicating the reunification process.
Upon taking office, President Biden established a task force dedicated to reuniting separated families, identifying approximately 5,000 children affected by the policy. However, the American Civil Liberties Union estimates the number may be as high as 5,500, with around 1,000 children still not confirmed as reunited with their families. Although the task force has managed to reconnect many families, some children remain separated from their parents, with continued searches hindered by limited and outdated records.
Advocacy Efforts to Reunite Families
The Biden administration’s task force has partnered with international organizations, like the International Organization for Migration, to facilitate family reunifications. Through outreach efforts such as radio announcements in the parents’ home countries, the task force has worked to find separated families. Legal organizations, including Justice in Motion, have also played a role, often relying on last-known addresses and community networks to track down parents.
Despite these efforts, many families continue to struggle with the effects of separation. The toll of the policy is profound, with separated children and their parents facing long-lasting psychological challenges. Some, like Efrain, a 22-year-old who was separated from his father, continue to feel guilt and anxiety over the incident. Efrain, who was placed in a shelter as an unaccompanied minor, felt overwhelming loneliness and self-blame. “It’s like I’m alone in a room locked up,” he shared. Efrain reunited with his father three years later but still battles emotional scars from the separation.
Long-Term Effects and Family Resilience
For Billy’s father, memories of the separation are also painful. He still tears up when recalling those months apart, expressing frustration that the public may have moved on from the trauma families endured. Billy, meanwhile, has found a new purpose in sharing his story with lawmakers and the public, hoping to prevent similar separations from happening in the future. “I know that my story holds a lot of power,” he said.
As the 2024 election nears, families affected by the Trump-era separation policy hope that their stories can make a difference. They, along with advocacy groups and public officials, continue to seek justice and permanent security for families who endured the pain of forced separation. For Billy and countless others, these memories remain close, highlighting a critical choice in the coming election that could determine their future and that of other migrant families.
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