A History Lesson

By Hank Silverberg

    It is chilling, and one of the most disturbing, episodes in the whole illegal immigration crackdown that has been stepped up by the current administration. 
     More than two thousand children, who came into the country illegally with one or both parents between April and May, were separated from their parents. They have been placed in holding centers while the adults are placed in detention centers awaiting deportation proceedings. Most of those parents are seeking political asylum here because of unrest or gang violence in their home country.  

     Why is this shocking? Many of the parents were told as they were separated that the children were being taken so they could get a bath. No other explanation was provided.

    For those who know history, particularly for Jews, that explanation has a chilling echo. It was standard procedure at Nazi concentration camps to tell those about to be murdered that they were going to take a “shower,” as they were herded into the gas chambers.  

http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/othercamps/auschwitzgaschambers.html

     Comparison to Nazi atrocities or the Holocaust are not always fair.  Nothing can compare to the systematic murder of 20 million people. But the Trump Administration’s response to the criticism of the tactic shows once again their ignorance of history, and the insensitivity to both the plight of the immigrants and the method of law enforcement.  

  

(Texas Detention center for children)

     I am not suggesting that the United States plans to kill any of those children. The centers they have been taken to, from what has been shown to reporters who have been allowed inside and from video and still photos supplied by the government, are clean.  https://youtu.be/WyRu1PiPYIc  The children are well fed. But it’s a detention center none the less. The youngsters are allowed outside only two hours a day. They are allowed only phone contact with their parents and have no idea what their fate will be.

           The President continues to blame Democrats for the separations, claiming it’s part of the current immigration law. This is simply false! 

    The law was passed in 2008 when Democrats had control of Congress. It was signed by Republican President George W. Bush. But it doesn’t deal with children who illegally cross the border with their parents. It only deals with children who cross alone without any adults. There was concern at the time that those unsupervised children would be exploited by criminals or street gangs. There is nothing in the law about separating families. No matter how many times the President and his minions say it, it still won’t be true. 

(Japanese American Internment Camp courtesy of Smithsonian )

    The whole policy also brings to mind one of the most shameless episodes in U-S history, the imprisonment of over 110,000 Japanese Americans in what were called “internment camps” during World War Two.    
    Former First Lady Laura Bush, in a Washington Post Op-Ed published this past Sunday, made the same comparison, calling the practice of separating children "immoral." 
     "Our government should not be in the business of warehousing
children in converted box stores or making plans to place them in tent cities in the desert outside of El Paso," she wrote.  

     During World War Two, American Citizens of Japanese descent were rounded up and shipped to far away camps surrounded by barbed wire. They were held there for as long as three years, simply because of their race. All their property was seized by the U-S Government, and the families were not compensated for it until 1988. It is well described by actor George Takei in the Ted.Talk linked here. https://www.ted.com/talks/george_takei_why_i_love_a_country_that_once_betrayed_me

   It took the United States decades to apologize to those American citizens for that corruption of our due process of law. 

      The current separation policy, called “zero tolerance,” is being implemented by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who stooped so low as to use the Bible as justification. He says they are just enforcing the law, citing Romans :13 from the New Testament:

 “to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.” 

    This quote has been used often by the right wing as justification for just about anything done by government, including slavery and Jim Crow laws in the old south, and apartheid in South Africa. New York Magazine says it was Hitler’s favorite Bible verse.  But if the mistakes from history do not sway Sessions away from this cruel and un-American tactic on illegal immigration, then I suggest he go back to the Old Testament and read:

Leviticus: 33-34

33 “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

    The world is a complex place, but this current administration, the President included, have shown repeatedly that they have no understanding of complicated issues like illegal immigration. It leaves our allies perplexed and our enemies smiling. American prestige and power could be damaged for decades.  

      When Mr. Trump took office, many people believed the Republican lead Congress would tame him and not let the over-the -top rhetoric take over actual policy.  But Republican lawmakers have abandoned the party of Eisenhower and Reagan and morphed into a mean spirited, vengeful mass that cares little about the people they represent. It could cost the GOP control of Congress in the mid-term elections. Whether it does or doesn’t, let us hope there is someone with an “R” next to their name who will remember “compassionate conservatism,” and will work with Democrats to Make America-- America Again.  

           

  (To purchase a signed copy of my latest book "The Campaign" directly from me, sent a note to the comments and I will tell you how. It is also available at Amazon.com and BN.com. )  
        

Book synopsis:  

The Vice-President of the United States is conflicted. She has risen to her current job by jumping on the bandwagon with President Andrew Freeman who is  now, waging war against America’s biggest enemy—Iran.  Amy Roosevelt must make a decision whether to stay with Freeman or challenge him for the nomination. Though back channels she learns that the President’s health is declining. As Roosevelt ponders her decision, a conservative back bench Congressman from Missouri breaks out of the wanna-bees in the other party and also decides to run.  All this plays out as the man known only as Ishmael, continues his campaign of violence.