Thread by @kazweida

This #SundayMorning , we're checking in on #WhereAreTheChildren

4 days are left until the deadline for HHS to reunify all children separated from their parents.

450 out of the nearly 2,500 kids over 5 have been reunited.
Less than 1/5 of those in HHS custody.
(THREAD)

(2) The administration has already blown past a previous deadline earlier this month to reunite all children under 5 years of age.

HHS returned only 57 out of the 105 babies & preschoolers, claiming the rest were "ineligible" to be reunited.

texastribune.org/2018/07/20/450…

(3) Right now, nearly 850 parents have been interviewed and cleared for reunification but another 229 parents have been deemed ineligible. There are several things that are slowing down this process.

The most frightening one is a lack of clear records.
theguardian.com/us-news/2018/j…

(4) Legal experts have expressed horror over the fact that the government appears to have acted with less concern over the tracking of children than if they were property.

Other organizations have stepped in, working round the clock to reunite families.
usatoday.com/story/news/nat…

(5) The children who have been reunited so far appear to be stunned, many of them emotionally distant. And some of them appear to have been mistreated in custody.

"There seems to be a level of cruel intent I've never seen before."

vox.com/policy-and-pol…

(6) If previous treatment is an indication, parents should be worried. Horrifying tales of abuse are widespread, including torture tactics used on teenagers.

@SouthwestKey , who runs many of these centers, has received $955 million in the last 3 years.

cnn.com/2018/06/21/us/…

(7) The cruelty of this zero-tolerance policy leaves behind children who may suffer lifelong trauma. Intense fear of intimacy, abandonment issues, and even nutritional deficiencies.

“They told us to behave,” she says, “or we’d be there forever.”

independent.co.uk/news/long_read…

(8) How can you help? There are several ways. First, you can always donate to help legal efforts through organizations like @RAICESTEXAS

Hillary Clinton just announced they are working to get people to donate miles to help with airfare for families.

time.com/5345302/hillar…

(9) You can also keep the focus on this crisis. The media attention has dwindled and as it does, so will the accountability for this administration.

We need to demand the resignation of @SecNielsen and a Congressional inquiry into these ORR centers.

nytimes.com/2018/07/12/us/…

(10) It's also important to support organizations like the ACLU, who filed a request for the government to fund counseling to address the long-term effects of trauma on these kids. This will be vital work to address the aftermath of this cruelty.

reuters.com/article/us-usa…

(11) Finally, your greatest responsibility in this is to VOTE. And get others to do the same.

This is our government, the people we elected, using our tax dollars to inflict this cruel policy, driven by rabid nationalism and racism.

That only changes when we #VoteThemAllOut

(END) Thanks to @karynme07 for the thread suggestion and to all of you, who keep coming back and to hang out with me in this corner of the Twitterverse.

We're 40K strong now because of your support- thank you!