Our president has made numerous promises to round up illegal immigrants, and rightly so. Any country should police its boundaries and enforce its laws.
So this week at a food processing plant in Mississippi, about 680 illegal aliens were rounded up in a bust. There was just one problem: The children of these immigrants were pretty much forgotten by the government that took their parents away.
It's an article we didn't want to read, but the photographs of crying, parentless children urged us forward to click on the link. WJTV had the story. Here's more from the television station:
"Following a massive undocumented immigration enforcement operation resulting in more than 650 arrests, many children of those taken into custody were left temporarily homeless ... Children relied on neighbors and strangers to pick them up outside their homes after school. They drove the children to a community center where people tried to keep them calm. But many kids could not stop crying for mom and dad."
The immigration laws of this nation have to be enforced. That's understandable. But a lot of these people being rounded up have children, and plans need to be made so they're cared for.
What happened in Mississippi is inexcusable. What did ICE think would happen if it just snatched up a bunch of adults? Did anybody in the gub-mint think some of them might have children? And did anybody realize that these children, those born here, are American citizens by law?
Thank goodness for community leaders and neighbors who came together to help care for these crying kids. They did wonderful work providing food, rides to school, and shelter while the children tried to process that their moms and dads were gone for reasons some might not be able to comprehend. Ah, America, you still make the best neighbors.
We're not saying that every sad story is an automatic coupon for citizenship, but if the government is going to round up 680 people, it has a responsibility to see that the children of those parents are taken care of. Don't leave them crying on the front porch, wondering what's going on. If nothing else, it makes for bad PR, and this president understands from PR. His people should, too.
We can and should expect better of ICE. Next time, plan better, guys. If an organization with thousands of law enforcement agents can organize the logistics of a raid that takes hundreds of people into custody in one day, it can find some babysitters.
Editorial on 08/09/2019