Children in America
Trump:
I am the least racist person there is.
When Mexico
Sends its
People
They’re not sending the best.
They’re bringing drugs.
They’re bringing crime.
They’re rapists.
Drugs.
Crime.
Rapists.
You won’t believe
How bad these
People
Are. These
Aren’t People.
These are
Animals.
Drugs. Crime. Rapists.
At least
Seven
Children
Have died
In immigration custody
Since last year
After almost a decade
In which no
Child
Died
In the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Customs and Border Protection Standards of Conduct:
Employees will not engage, on or off duty, in criminal, infamous, dishonest, or notoriously disgraceful conduct.
Marisela’s Son (Two-years Old)
“My son was losing weight and
I would sometimes have to change his diaper
Every 10 to 15 minutes.
An official told me
They were not
Giving medication to
Children
During the week
We were in the Pererra.”
When they finally
Saw the nurse
She was told that
Nothing that could be done for her son.
Carla’s Son (Six Years Old)
“He was
Naked
Trembling
Crying
And couldn’t sleep
From the cold.
I asked for diapers
So he could have something to wear.
The officials said
He was too old to wear them.”
Customs and Border Protection General Policy
2.8: Medical Precautions
If officers/agents suspect that a detainee has an observed or reported medical condition… appropriate protective precautions must be taken.
Sofia’s Daughter (Nine Years Old)
“I asked for
My daughter
To see a doctor.
The official said
If she didn’t have a fever
She couldn’t take us anywhere
And told us to go back to our cell.”
Vidalina’s Daughter (11 Years Old)
“I told her
My daughter
Had a fever
The official responded
I don’t have medicine for you
And much less for her.”
Customs and Border Protection General Policy
1.6: Treatment of Juveniles
Officers/Agents will consider the best interest of the juvenile at all decision points beginning at the first encounter and continuing through processing, detention, transfer, or repatriation. Officers/Agents should recognize that juveniles experience situations differently than adults.
Beatriz’s Daughter (Nine-years old)
When her
Child
Vomited twice
An immigration official told
Beatriz
They only took
Children
To a medical provider
If they had vomited
Three times.
“She said she could not help.
She said she could not help.”
Yuri’s Daughter (Three-years old)
Immigration officials
Told Yuri
To stay away from them
Because they were afraid
Of getting infected.
Her daughter vomited
About ten times
In an hour
But officials
Told Yuri
She could not receive medical care.
Yuri
Saw a woman
Leave to give birth
Then return to the facility
With her newborn
Baby
Customs and Border Protection General Policy
1.9 Family Unity
CBP will maintain family unity to the greatest extent operationally feasible.
Diana’s Daughter (11 Years old)
After crossing
The U.S.-Mexico Border
They were separated from one another
In different fenced areas.
Holocaust Survivor Ruth Bloch when asked if she was offended by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comparison of ICE Detention Centers to Concentration Camps
No,
I identify.
It’s the same conditions I lived through. The
People
Coming here now
Come out of Desperation
They cannot live
Where they were born.
I think anyone like me
Who has gone through the Holocaust
Should know that these
People
Have the
Exact same history.
What you hear of the
People
In these camps, the
Kids
Have to take
Care of themselves.
There is no love.
What will become of them
I don’t know.
If they’re lucky
They can spend a normal life—
But I doubt it.
Note from the Author
All of these poems are composed, verbatim, from speeches, news articles, and official government websites. I have listed their sources below in the order in which they appear.
Rankine, Claudia. “I Wanted to Know What White Men Though About Their Privilege. So I Asked.” The New York Times, 17 July 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/17/magazine/white-men-privilege.html.
Korte, Gregory and Alan Gomez. “Trump Ramps up Rhetoric on Undocumented Immigrants: ‘These aren’t People. These are Animals.’” USA Today, 17 May 2018, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/16/trump-immigrants-animals-mexico-democrats-sanctuary-cities/617252002/.
Acevedo, Nicole. “Why are Migrant Children Dying in U.S. Custody?” NBC News, 29 May 2019, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/why-are-migrant-children-dying-u-s-custody-n1010316.
“Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection Directive.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 13 Mar. 2012, https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2018-Nov/cbp-standards-conduct-2012.pdf.
“Firsthand Accounts of Medical Negligence in Customs and Border Protection Facilities.” American Immigration Council, 4 Sep. 2019, https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/advocacy/medical-negligence-customs-and-border-protection-facilities.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection: National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Oct. 2015, https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/assets/documents/2017-Sep/CBP%20TEDS%20Policy%20Oct2015.pdf.
Arce, Julissa. “Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric was Never About Legality—It was About Our Brown Skin.” TIME Magazine, 6 Aug. 2019, https://time.com/5645501/trump-anti-immigration-rhetoric-racism/.
Kaye, Randi. “Supporters Rally Behind Trump on Immigration.” CNN News, 1 Nov. 2018, https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/11/01/trump-supporters-immigration-border-randi-kaye-dnt-ac360.cnn.
Arango, Tim, et al. “Minutes Before El Paso Killing, Hate-Filled Manifesto Appears Online.” The New York Times, 3 Aug 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/us/patrick-crusius-el-paso-shooter-manifesto.html?module=inline.
Levine, Mike. “’No Blame?’ ABC News Finds 36 Cases Invoking ‘Trump’ in Connection with Violence, Threats, Alleged Assaults.” ABC News, 14 Aug 2019, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/blame-abc-news-finds-17-cases-invoking-trump/story?id=58912889.
Pry, Alyssa. “Holocaust Survivor: Yes, the Border Detention Camps are like Concentration Camps.” The Daily Beast, 8 July 2019, https://www.thedailybeast.com/holocaust-survivor-yes-the-border-detention-centers-are-like-concentration-camps.