A witness who visited two of the immigration detention centers in Texas is reporting that 5-year-old boys are being locked in cages and not allowed out.
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Michelle Brane of the Women’s Refugee Commission told MSNBC, “What I saw was — even though I have been to the facilities before and have been working on this for many, many years, it was shocking. I saw a cage full of 5-year-olds. 5-year-old little boys alone. They were not allowed to play. There was nothing to play with. Lights are on 24 hours a day. You saw the Mylar blankets they have and thin mats on the floor. I spoke to one little boy who was clutching a picture of his mother, that I can only assume one border patrol agent, who decided to be kind, photocopied for him and gave him before separating him from his mother.”
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Keeping five-year-old children locked alone in cages is not a deterrent. It is not a projection of strength. It is the ultimate show of cowardice and weakness. Donald Trump is afraid of small children. The Trump administration is afraid of child asylum seekers that they have placed them in cages like they are a threat. Five-year-old children are not a threat to America.
Each day that the Trump administration helps this story to grow and linger is another nail in the Republican coffin. From the Trump point of view, the political calculus is obvious. Trump is trying to change the subject away from the Russia investigation and his trade war and back to immigration, where he thinks that his voters will view keeping kids in cages as strong and tough.
The Trump base is roughly 34%-39% of the country. What the president can’t see is that he and his party are losing everyone else. One of the things that the Trump presidency is going to be remembered for is that he locked kids in cages.
Americans are rising up to take their country back, and when they are done, there will never again be an innocent child placed in a cage.
By bullying children, Trump has dug his own political grave.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
