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A vigil has been scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Putnam County Courthouse in Carmel as a federal court-ordered deadline nears for the reuniting of immigrant children and parents.
According to officials, “about 3,000 young children were separated from their parents at the southwest border as part of Trump’s illegal 'zero tolerance' policy of criminally prosecuting asylum-seeking parents. Many of the children are under the age of 5.”
ICE official Robert Guadian said children under age 5, some still breastfeeding, are detained in 23 facilities across 13 states. The Department of Health and Human Services has an estimated 11,800 migrant minors in custody.
Organizers of the event said that the vigil has been arranged “because ripping apart families and psychologically scarring children for life is un-American and violates international law.”
Following a tour of Children’s Village in Northern Westchester - which houses migrant children - earlier this month, Congresswoman Nita Lowey issued a lengthy statement lambasting the Trump administration and its policies regarding the migrant children.
“Shelters like Children’s Village provide vital services for vulnerable children, but the Trump Administration’s decision to put 2,000 miles between children and their families will make it much harder for families to be reunited quickly. Worse, the Administration has presented no realistic plan to reunite families, and has shown no urgency in addressing this crisis.”
In her statement, Lowey went on to say that the president’s administration’s “ abdication of leadership and lack of urgency proves they have no plan to address this crisis of their own making, and House Republicans are letting them off the hook.”
“Intentionally traumatizing children by using them as bargaining chips for a wasteful border wall is a shameful chapter in our nation’s history. And make no mistake: there will be lasting consequences of the Administration’s cruelty– for these children, for their families, and for the reputation of our nation. It is imperative that these misdeeds are rectified without delay so children and their family members can begin to heal from the Administration’s unconscionable policies.”
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