This week, reports broke that the U.S. Government managed to lose almost 1,500 children taken from their families at the United States border.
When families with small children are taken into custody at the border, or if children try to escape their country on their own, they are placed in a sponsor home–or the home of a relative or family friend–while awaiting trial on their case. However, many of these children apparently are “missing.”
According to Steven Wagner, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families–officials in the administration were “unable to locate” 1,475 children who were placed in homes between October and December 2017.
However, officials also state that once children are placed in homes to await the outcome of their asylum cases–they are not “legally responsible” for them. Instead, they believe it is the responsibility of the sponsor or the relative to keep track of the children.
Many reports have also indicated that children may have “run away” from the homes they were placed in. However, children in many homes were being “sexually and physically abused,” and although reports were filed, no action was taken to remove these children from their unsafe homes.
DHS sent children to homes where they were abused.
And HHS admits there is lax follow-up because, one presumes, there are not enough workers allocated to do the job.#WhereAreTheChildren pic.twitter.com/wd4F1mntRM
— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) May 26, 2018
Donald Trump, however, has blamed Democrates–citing a law enacted by Democrats that separate children from their parents. Also–of course–he plugged his “wall.”
Put pressure on the Democrats to end the horrible law that separates children from there parents once they cross the Border into the U.S. Catch and Release, Lottery and Chain must also go with it and we MUST continue building the WALL! DEMOCRATS ARE PROTECTING MS-13 THUGS.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2018
Since the news broke, the Internet has been in an uproar over the new information and demands that the government work to find these missing children.
I will help organize a #WhereAreTheChildren rally in San Antonio this week. This inhumanity needs to stop.
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) May 26, 2018
1500 kids fleeing from abuse are lost.
Instead of caring about finding the kids under his watch…Donald Trump blames Democrats.
Thank you to everyone who did not vote in Nov 2016 because “both candidates were equally horrible.”#WhereAreTheChildren
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) May 26, 2018
I can't imagine any prior First Ladies sitting idly by while their husband's administrations ripped immigrant children from their mothers and allowed God knows what to be done to them. @FLOTUS Melania can go to hell along with her #BeBest scam. #WhereAreTheChildren #AMJoy
— Legal Weed 4 SC 🍃 (@LegalWeed4SC) May 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/tlmlarsen/status/1000394352131063808
https://twitter.com/sahluwal/status/1000414769151598592
https://twitter.com/Goss30Goss/status/1000348740950085632
As a father I DEMAND to know where those children are!! As an American I DEMAND to know where those children are!! As a human being I DEMAND to know where those children are!! The ones in the concentration camps are just barely better!!#WhereAreTheChildren #WhereAreTheChildren pic.twitter.com/nT524cXr39
— CaptanCrypto (@ImAkEmOrEsEnSe3) May 26, 2018
This is horrific. I have three children and if anyone tried to take any one of them away from me and then LOST THEM, it would destroy me. The people perpetrating these abuses are monsters. #WhereAreTheChildren https://t.co/plOgEhxFMV
— Cat (@catdtx) May 26, 2018
I don’t understand how anyone could work for @ICEgov. ICE’s policy of separating children from their families under the Trump administration is not only un-American, it’s inhumane.
Call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE and ask them #WhereAreTheChildren?
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) May 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/andylassner/status/1000418592549093382
America: “Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..” and when you arrive I will abuse you and shoot you and take your children from you and dispose of them somewhere. #wherearethechildren https://t.co/FfOWuUy7Tf
— Glennon Doyle (@GlennonDoyle) May 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/RickCalvert/status/1000398861834141696
Some are comparing it to other historical events we should have “learned from.”
Official US policy:
Until 1865, rip African American children from their parents.
From 1870s to 1970s, rip Native American children from their parents.
Now, rip children of immigrants and refugees from their parents.#ThisIsAmerica ?! #WhereAreTheChildren
— African American Research (@AfAmResearch) May 26, 2018
The Holocaust did not end with people being called subhuman, constantly compared to criminals, put into yellow markers with children torn from the the arms of screaming mothers..
But it did start there.#WhereAreTheChildren
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) May 26, 2018
WHO THE FUCK ARE WE?
Calling people subhuman, equating them with MS-13, mistreating them, children torn from the arms of THEIR MOTHERS.
I HEREBY DEMAND that those 1500 children be found and with the other children separated returned to their parents.#WhereAreTheChildren #ICE
— 🇺🇸 𝘗𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘗𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘺 🇳🇱 (@pithypacky) May 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/KaivanShroff/status/1000414874499997696
Separating children from parents is a Nazi era tactic. It happened during WWII and its happening again under Trump regime. #WhereAreTheChildren
— 🌊al🌟pal (@OrangeLimonata) May 26, 2018
I haven’t been able to sleep knowing that 1,475 children, who are of course of color, were purposely ripped from their families and are now lost. I’ve been outraged and sickened by the actions of this criminal GOP regime, but this is on a Nazism/Hitler level. #WhereAreTheChildren
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) May 26, 2018
Group portrait of children who are being separated from their mothers by Ustasa guards, at the entrance to the Stara Gradiska concentration camp.#WhereAreTheChildren pic.twitter.com/AUK71ot2Zp
— Somebody Else’s Make Them Riot. Do it. Baby 🪷 (@SBfut3) May 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/miamimama305/status/1000373666029465602
https://twitter.com/RickCalvert/status/1000417260215795713
Others are fearing for the safety of the children, citing that human traffickers could have taken many of these innocent kids.
PBS has confirmed that some of these children have been released to HUMAN TRAFFICKERS by the US government.https://t.co/muz4lCQXcD
— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) May 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/Helenhs/status/1000332643521695745
https://twitter.com/BlueGhost40_/status/1000365362490339328
Why isn't the pizzagate crowd asking #WhereAreTheChildren? The Trump administration literally lost children and turned others over to HUMAN TRAFFICKERS.
And this is just what we know about. https://t.co/x0Gr3vpKeM
— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) May 26, 2018
A reminder that while trump lost 1500 kids, Princess Ivanka was out there claiming to be working to end human trafficking. An initiative started by Michelle Obama and trump took all the funding from. #WhereAreTheChildren
— 🥥🌴Tina- Vote Freedom vs Fascism (@trcfwtt) May 26, 2018
The US is now engaged in kidnapping and complicit in human trafficking. We are separating families based on ethnicity, just like we did to the Native Americans, Slaves, Japanese, etc. If any other country did this, we'd press charges at The Hague. #WhereAreTheChildren
— Tom Gladstone (@TomGladstone) May 26, 2018
More than likely the United States Government put 1500 kids in the trajectory of the sex trade. Children don’t just disappear, they go somewhere. This is stunningly irresponsible.#WHEREARETHECHILDREN
. https://t.co/gzwAmsiAAn— Jersey Craig (@Jersey_Craig) May 26, 2018