The silent war against migrant children
By Elket Rodríguez
Unnoticed by many due to the war in Ukraine is the silent and sinister war against migrant children. Leaders in Texas, Florida and Tennessee are politicizing the treatment, care, and protection of vulnerable migrant children.
In Texas, the Attorney General prevailed in court preventing the Biden administration from exempting migrant children from expulsion to Mexico under Title 42 –the policy that authorizes rapid expulsion of migrants at the border due to COVID-19 precautions. The result of this lawsuit would hand over unaccompanied migrant children to the dangers awaiting in México.
Who are these unaccompanied migrant children? Some are very young. Remember the footage of the two toddlers (3 and 5 years old) being dropped over the border wall by smugglers? This is whose well-being we are seeking to protect with a Title 42 exemption. This should be important for anyone concerned about child trafficking and pedophile rings.
There are more examples of politicizing migrant children than just Title 42. On January 28, Texas –alongside Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, and Oklahoma– sued the federal government to prevent the implementation of the Central American Migrants Program which seeks to reunite minors with their parents in the United States. On February 10, Florida issued a rule denying the renewal of licenses to shelters serving migrant children. The Tennessee Legislature is currently considering a bill that would prevent the prompt reunification of migrant children with their families.
As people of faith, we should step back and examine the question looming above all these policies and court decisions: Why are these children such a threat? Is it the color of their skin?
I also wonder, where are those who advocate and protest against abortion access? A true pro-life commitment should stretch far beyond the womb. I’m confident Jesus would want us to welcome migrant children and care for the “least of these.”
It is curious how much our country has changed in a decade. In 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) with unanimous bipartisan support to protect unaccompanied migrant children because of their vulnerability to trafficking. Unanimous bipartisan support! Gone are the days when the welfare of children was not a political issue.
For me, this is a personal issue. As the father of two Latino children, I feel compelled to say, "don't mess with my children!" This was the Spanish idiom my parents used to say to protect me and my sisters from the dangers of corrupt adults. And today I say it on behalf of those children who look like mine.
While we are crying for the displaced Ukrainian refugee children, let’s not turn away from the children closer to home. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” We cannot remain silent and allow innocent children to suffer.
Elket Rodriguez is a CBF field personnel serving and advocating for immigrants and refugees at the U.S.-Mexico border. He works closely with Fellowship Southwest’s immigrant relief ministry.
