Laura Bush on the Separation of Immigrant Families
This Father's Day, former first lady Laura Bush is speaking out about the on-going separation of immigrant parents from their children at the borders of the United States. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, Bush shares her perspective not only as a former first lady but also a citizen of a border state.
"I live in a border state. I appreciate the need to enforce and protect our international boundaries, but this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart," she writes, citing the nearly 2,000 children, some of whom are younger than 4 years old, who have been sent to mass detention centers or foster care.
"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. These images are eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history," she continues.
"People on all sides agree that our immigration system isn’t working, but the injustice of zero tolerance is not the answer"
Bush has always been an advocate for children. During her time as first lady, she focused on childhood education, early childhood development, and literacy.
While the Bushes have typically stayed out of the political spotlight following George W. Bush's presidency, in recent months they've become increasingly vocal in their views of President Trump and his policies.
For example, last October, former president George W. Bush gave a pointed speech denouncing bigotry and white supremacy that was widely recognized as a condemnation of the current administration, even though it did not mention Trump by name. And in May of 2018, he gave another address about the "dangers of isolation," a direct affront to Trump's America First rhetoric.
Read Laura Bush's full opinion piece over on the Washington Post.
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