Clear Charity has always maintained a neutral stance when it comes to politics or religion. It is our policy to not comment or take sides because we want to welcome everyone to our use our programs. However, recent events concerning children at our southern border has forced us to break this policy. Policies are designed to provide structure for making decisions, whether that may be for protection, organization, or improvement. But policy is never absolute. We always re-evaluate our policies to make sure they are fulfilling our promises to the families who rely on us, not causing unnecessary burdens or harm.
A recent report has shown that close to 2,000 children have been separated from their families entering the US within the past few weeks, many of them seeking asylum and then placed in separate detention facilities without access or contact to their parents. There has been a report that a small child described as either a toddler or an infant who was breastfeeding was taken from their mother’s arms.
Most of the volunteers here at Clear Charity are parents, including the founders. And as parents, the idea of being separated from our children without knowing where they are, is one of biggest fears we all share. We frankly do not understand why this has to happen. How is separating a toddler from their mother helping national security? Who is providing the hourly care necessary for infants, especially breastfed infants? Who is taking responsibility for the mental and physical damage being done by taking young children away from their parents and containing hundreds of children in a tent in the desert?
We Just Do Not Understand.
We have read that this policy existed since the previous administration, and even before then. But we also note that it was never enforced as a general mandate, to be a deterrent to any family seeking asylum in our country. Even citizens who are charged with Federal offenses, where their children are taken away, those same children are placed in the foster system, not a detention facility.
And since when is looking for a better life or running away from imminent danger from their own homeland is crime deserving of such punishment? We have an immigration process called asylum for exactly that purpose. It is a legal form of immigration. We have no doubt that most immigrants would rather stay in their home country instead of taking a dangerous journey, whether by foot or crammed into suffocating hot containers, to find better life with children in tow. Would you do that for your children if your home country turned into a war zone?
We are not offering a solution on how to handle the immigration crisis or current politics. But we know that separating children, especially young children, is the wrong thing to do. What’s happening at our southern border is a humanitarian crisis brought on by the current administration. And it’s something we as citizens need to take responsibility for and fix immediately.
We are a small charity serving a venerable population within our community. But whenever we make a policy change, it impacts over 500 children and their families that we support. Because of that, we are always open to suggestions and feedback; and when we realize that our current policy is not providing the best service, we make changes immediately. It’s time for us think about why we are allowing this practice and what is being accomplished. If you are a parent, think of how you’d feel if you needed help and your children were treated this way. We urge you to look into your hearts and see if this is who we are as a nation and a people.
We truly believe and have no doubt that we are better than this. We are proud people with compassion and love, who believe in this land of the free and the brave. It’s time for us to recognize the bravery of those parents who risked everything to find better lives for their children and for us to be brave enough to admit when we made a mistake and do the right thing.
#wherearethechildren
