The Innocent Victims Of A Growing Crisis – Will Their Parents Listen?

The immigration crisis in the U.S. grows worse every year, with left-wing legislators pushing to allow open access to our borders.

Liberal state governors defy the law and establish “sanctuary cities,” which increasingly bring violent crime to the doorsteps of American families.

Now, in a new effort to take back control of our nation and encourage the rule of law, a dire warning has been issued to immigrants.  And in typical fashion, the left is calling it cruel and heartless.

One can hardly imagine the terror of a child being forcibly separated from their parents, but that is exactly what immigrants crossing the U.S. border illegally are willing to put their children through.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently spoke about the new crackdown on illegal immigration, warning immigrant families to go through the legal process of coming into the U.S. – or there would be serious consequences.

As a way of deterring illegal border crossings that endanger the health and safety of children in the first place, Sessions made it clear that these parents need to think of their children.

Time Magazine reported:

“If you are smuggling a child then we will prosecute you, and that child may be separated from you as required by law,” Sessions said Monday at a law enforcement event in Scottsdale, Ariz. “If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border.”

Prior to the increased enforcement guidelines, which were recently enacted, when a family was apprehended by Border Patrol while attempting to illegally enter the U.S., the entire family would be sent to a detention facility to await processing.

Individuals who were caught were most often bussed back over the border – on the American taxpayer’s dime – without any consequences.

But with the new enforcements in place, parents will be sent to a detention facility and their children sent to a separate refugee center.

While the left attacks the new policies as abhorrent in ripping families apart, Sessions made it clear that the process is meant to encourage immigrant families to follow the law.

Families who present themselves at official border crossings will be allowed to remain together while their cases appealing for asylum or protection are addressed.

It is simple, Sessions says.  Follow the legal process and keep your family together.  Cross illegally, and you will risk your children being taken from you while you are prosecuted.

The LA Times reported:

“If you cross this border unlawfully, then we will prosecute you. It’s that simple,” Sessions added, describing the new policy as zero tolerance. “We are dealing with a massive influx of illegal aliens across our Southwest Border. But we’re not going to stand for this.”

“This border is not open. Don’t come unlawfully…. Make your claim. Wait your turn,” Sessions said Monday, speaking to reporters at Border Field State Park, which straddles the U.S.-Mexico border near Imperial Beach in San Diego County. “We cannot take everyone on this planet who is in a difficult situation.”

The breadth of the immigration crisis was reinforced recently when a caravan of more than 200 immigrants seeking asylum traveled through Central America to attempt to cross the U.S. border from Tijuana.

You can find more on the story of the caravan’s impact on the decision to strengthen immigration laws as previously reported by Mommy Underground’s article.

And immigration patterns have dramatically shifted recently as families flee the violence in Central American countries to request asylum in the U.S., with attempted illegal crossings more than tripling in the last several months alone.

Of great concern to the administration is the danger of children being smuggled into the country by way of dangerous crossing points, for example, along the treacherous Rio Grande and through unforgiving desert areas.

The administration also hopes to close loopholes in immigration law that allow people to apply for asylum and then be released into the U.S. pending their hearings, which can take years in our overwhelmed immigration courts.

LA Times continued:

The Trump administration is convinced that detaining more border crossers will serve as an effective deterrent. When agents in El Paso started apprehending more families in 2017, the number of illegal crossings dropped by 64%, a Homeland Security official said.

The Justice Department last week announced plans to send 35 additional prosecutors to Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico to help handle the expected surge, along with reassigning 18 immigration judges to speed the progress of asylum claims.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which handles the shelters for migrant children, also is preparing to take in many more cases.

Sessions also criticized the states who create “sanctuary cities” that continue to help the immigration crisis grow out of control.

It is the administration’s hope that with tighter enforcement of the laws, parents who seek to enter the U.S. will really think to put their children first and think of the consequences for them if they enter the country illegally.

“We don’t want to separate families, but we don’t want families to enter the border illegally,” Sessions said, according to the LA Times. “We urge them not to do so.”

It remains to be seen if families in Mexico and Central America will take heed of Sessions’ warnings and think about the physical and emotional health and safety of their children.

If the immigration crisis continues to grow unchecked, it is the children of these families who will suffer the most harm at the hands of their parents who refuse to follow the laws of our nation.

What do you think of the new crackdown on immigration laws?  Do you think parents who are contemplating illegal entry into the U.S. will think twice if it may jeopardize their children?  Leave us your thoughts.