Different Views : Dividing Families at The Border?

- *The American Dossier Editors Note- We welcome and would love for you to talk amongst yourselves on this issue as these 2 articles below offer interesting perspectives. A Different Pont of View: Barack Obama weighs in on family separation -Source--CNBC Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday rebuked his successor President Donald Trumps policy of separating children from parents at U.S. borders. In a lengthy statement the 44th U.S. president expressed sympathy for people who fled violence in other countries only to see their families broken apart when they reached the U.S. Without mentioning Trump by name he said The U.S. needs to show its humanity not only through saying this isnt who we are but also through our policies our laws our actions and our votes. And to watch those families broken apart in real time puts to us a very simple question: are we a nation that accepts the cruelty of ripping children from their parents arms or are we a nation that values families and works to keep them together? Obama asked. Do we look away or do we choose to see something of ourselves and our children? A bipartisan furor over the Trump administrations practice has erupted in recent days as visuals and audio show crying kids separated from their parents and children sleeping on the floor within cage-like structures. For days the Trump administration wrongly said it could not revoke the policy without Congress taking action to end the policy while also passing Trumps desired border security policies. Then the president said Wednesday that he will sign a measure to keep families together. House Republicans plan to vote Thursday on a plan that would end the practice while funding Trumps proposed border wall offering a path to citizenship for young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children and limiting legal immigration. Separations of families increased under the Trump administrations zero tolerance policy which aims to prosecute all adults illegally crossing U.S. borders including asylum seekers. The administration separated 1995 children from 1940 adults from April 19 to May 31 after zero tolerance was announced according to the Department of Homeland Security. During Obamas presidency immigration advocates criticized him for the number of deportations his administration oversaw and its detention of families together. However the U.S. did not have a widespread family separation policy during Obamas presidency. A Different Point of View: Trump vs. Obama: Two Approaches to Migrant Families and Minors Source-Breitbart- Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump were both faced with the issue of unaccompanied minors and family units following the passage of a law by a Democrat-controlled Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2008. The law intended to curb human smuggling became a magnet for families and children to the U.S. border. The most obvious and direct cause of the flood of children from Central America is the 2008 human trafficking law that ended the rapid deportation of unaccompanied minors who come illegally from countries other than Mexico and Canada" the Washington Post wrote in July 2014. The law which cleared both houses of Congress by unanimous consent and was signed by George W. Bush in his final days in office was bipartisan and well intentioned but it was exploited by the very traffickers it was meant to target who encouraged this huge emigration of children from Central America." The Trump Administration could not agree more with the Posts article. Once again it is Congresss job to change the law. Were calling on them to do exactly that" White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters on Monday in response to criticism of President Trumps policies regarding families and minors at the border by former First Lady Laura Bush Breitbart News John Nolte reported. And frankly this law was actually signed into effect in 2008 under her husbands leadership not under this administration" she added. Were not the ones responsible for creating this problem; weve inherited it. But were actually the first administration stepping up and trying to fix it." The manner in which Presidents Obama and Trump handled what became an overwhelming crisis stands in sharp contrast. President Obama: Creates magnet for families and minors with the implementation of the DACA Program. Expands magnet with the implementation of DAPA for parents. Keeps news of surging migrant families and minors quiet until June 2014. Warehouses large numbers of families and minors in overcrowded and unsafe conditions. Implements Catch and Release 2.0" program to release minors and families into U.S. interior. Prohibits media and congressional leaders from photographing conditions in detention centers. Orders deployment of National Guard to supplement border security efforts. President Trump: Rescinds DAPA program. Orders end of DACA program and urges Congress to find a permanent solution. Issues order to stop migrant family caravans" at the border to prevent overcrowding at shelters. Issues zero-tolerance" policy for first-time border crossers. Orders increased prosecution of repeat border crossers. Implements policy to remove minors from parents being prosecuted for illegally crossing the border. Improves the quality of living conditions for detained minors. Orders deployment of National Guard to supplement border security efforts. Proposes border walls and fencing to replace decaying infrastructure and increase border security. Invites media and congressional leaders to tour new family and minors detention and processing centers.