Please See This Heartbreaking Glimpse Inside One of America’s Child Internment Camps
Photo via screenshot
In case you missed it, America is now concentrating children in camps called “tent cities” located on our military bases after we have separated them from their families. Senator Kamala Harris, a former prosecutor, said this a human rights abuse.
Infant ripped from mother’s arms while she was breastfeeding the baby at border detention center; mother handcuffed for resisting https://t.co/vhbsGKrWLo
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) June 13, 2018
MSNBC correspondent Jacob Soboroff was one of the first journalists to go into these detention centers after Senator Ed Markey was denied entry. He was invited by the Department of Homeland Security. Keep in mind this is what it looks like when they’re expecting visitors. This thread shook me to my core. If you’ve ever wondered what you would have done during the rise of Nazi Germany, it’s whatever you’re doing right now.
Just finished tour, don’t even know where to start.
One of the first things you notice when you walk into the shelter — no joke — a mural of Trump with the quote “sometimes losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.”
Presidential murals everywhere. But that one is 1st.
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 13, 2018
Officials here said they’ve never had an MS-13 member here, ever.
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 13, 2018
Kids here get only two hours a day to be outside in fresh air.
One hour of structured time.
One hour of free time.
The rest of the day is spent inside a former Wal Mart.
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 13, 2018
This mega-shelter is run by trained staff — a nonprofit.
I believe the worker looking after these kids who said she’d like to see a day when they don’t have to do this.
But things are moving in the wrong direction — capacity is 1497 and tonight 1469 boys will sleep here.
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
Something I just told @chrislhayes: this place is a licensed child care facility with trained staff. There are 26 operated by the same nonprofit, @SouthwestKey.
Its president told me that potential new tent cities that will be on federal property don’t have to be licensed.
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
Starting to get some handout photos from our tour with @HHSGov.
Here’s the Trump mural I mentioned to @chrislhayes inside the shelter for incarcerated child migrants.
Also their beds and the towels they shower with. pic.twitter.com/EPEQ1VGAAF
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
Here are some photos of the boys in the cafeteria.
This is not a school cafeteria.
Hundreds called to eat at a time on rotating shifts.
When I told @chrislhayes it felt like a prison or jail, I was thinking about this. pic.twitter.com/feZI46SPAc
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
Here are some photos of the boys in the cafeteria.
This is not a school cafeteria.
Hundreds called to eat at a time on rotating shifts.
When I told @chrislhayes it felt like a prison or jail, I was thinking about this. pic.twitter.com/feZI46SPAc
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
I agree with @lawrence.
We likely wouldn’t have had a shot at getting inside Casa Padre tonight had @SenJeffMerkley not tried and been turned away before us.
Here’s my conversation with them both tonight. https://t.co/Cr2KZVXoek
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
Forgot to mention last night: folks at the shelter have a weekly policy call with feds about changes that will affect the shelter.
They say they weren’t given a heads up about Trump/Sessions zero tolerance separation policy that’s led to overcrowding. https://t.co/MtQynq1PoD
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
Great question. And the babies.
— Jacob Soboroff (@jacobsoboroff) June 14, 2018
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes clarified some important points after Soboroff’s thread made its imprint across the internet’s psyche.
Those are children under 18, usually teens who show up at the border without a parent or guardian. But now 30% of those kids are kids who our government has rendered unaccompanied by taking them from their parents.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 14, 2018
Which means ORR has not, until now, been running a massive childcare system for tender age children. But now, babies and toddlers are being taken from their parents and put…where? Who is caring for them and how? We need to see inside those facilities. Now.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 14, 2018
Senator Dianne Feinstein said yesterday that she had 38 senators behind her legislation to stop this practice that can only be classified as emblematic of the beginnings of Nazi Germany. That means some Democrats aren’t behind the bill. Before you fall into complete and utter despair, there is some hope, and it comes in the form of Paul Ryan.
REPORTER: Are you comfortable with the current zero tolerance policy leading to parents and children being separated at the border?
SPEAKER RYAN: No I am not….this I do think ought to be addressed. We beleive it should be addressed in immigration legislation
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 14, 2018
Call your representatives, especially Democratic senators. The fact that Dianne Feinstein couldn’t get the entire Democratic caucus on board with a policy of not separating immigrant children from their parents tells you all you need to know about the remaining vestiges of the failed Democratic Party who lost to Trump. Let them know that Paul freaking Ryan has shown more spine on this issue to date than whomever those holdouts are, and they have a fleeting amount of time to untie their political legacy to crimes against humanity.
Jacob Weindling is a staff writer for Paste politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling.