A girl’s death in the hands of US immigration is a predictable barbarity of a perilous nation
I struggle to contemplate the global observation of America’s anti-migrant hysteria as a recent one. Of course, the xenophobic narrative seeping out of the country’s pores has been exacerbated under a Trump presidency. But lest we forget the fear of the “other” has coarsened the fabric of liberal America for decades.
Since Trump’s inception into the Oval Office, the US is grappling with a heightened and catastrophised perception of immigration from the Middle East and Latin America. Trump campaigned on a disingenuous promise to build a border wall to block off Mexico, implemented a travel ban on Muslim-majority countries and cries a racist rhetoric against all minority communities. This May, he faced universal consternation from his own party and his opponents for introducing a child separation policy. This meant that parents who were crossing the U.S/Mexico border illegally were instantly pulled apart from their young children and sent to different migrant camps in nearby towns. Months later, after the policy was reneged, almost 300 children still remained separated from their parents.
Yesterday, a seven-year-old Guatemalan girl who had spent eight hours in the custody of US immigration officials, died at a Texas hospital from dehydration. The Washington Post was the first to report on the death, which subsequently led to a statement from US Border Patrol. “As fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, we empathize with the loss of any child”, was a quote from the official statement. As an outsider looking towards America’s mess from across the pond, I struggle to spot remorse from a country and its border protection officers who have, for decades, persecuted migrants in despair.
The USA was founded by welcoming refugees. It is deemed land of hope and a beacon for democracy. This worldwide notion has pummelled in my expectations to one of fear and loathing. Trump’s predecessor, Obama, a figure lauded for his progressive cause, was responsible for the deportation of millions of Central Americans. His Democratic partner-in-crime and former presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, recently requested that the US and Europe curb immigration so to avoid a far-right takeover. Even before them, Republican George W. Bush was known for his complacency in America’s embedded racial attitudes, particularly regarding the African American suffering and Hurricane Katrina. He is also held accountable for the invasion of the Middle East and the subsequent killings of Iraqi civilians. Seems hypocritical that a country hellbent on raging war on less-civilised nations then refuses to be sympathetic to many desperately escaping areas of conflict.
America must certainly hold responsibility for the world’s biggest refugee and exodus crisis since the second world war. Not only have they turned away asylum seekers from countries they battled with, they are now allowing inhumane migrant camps to be the cause of death for innocent children. It is safe to say the Republican party have sold their souls do a dictatorial and kleptocratic president. But the crux of the immigration issue was always entrenched into the core of American politics. Whether the administration has been Democratic or Republican, the nationalistic sentiment from their voters has not eroded.
A young girl, innocent and none the wise to her parents who wished for her to have a better life, has died in the hands of the world’s most powerful democracy. We must pray for her family and try to understand the sheer pain they must feel. But let’s not be shocked that a country prone to maintaining a harsh border with their neighbours has managed to stoop this low. We can hope this situation is a wake-up call to a nation so hostile to immigrants who wish to enter.
