The last few weeks have brought a devastating slew of headlines on an increasingly cruel immigration enforcement practice: forcibly separating migrant children from their parents.
As a parent myself, the image of kids crying out for their parents while being hauled away is almost too much to bear. But even worse is the knowledge that it’s part of an intentional administration strategy to deter immigrants by threatening to kidnap their kids — a practice that recently drew UN condemnation.
This week in OtherWords, I write about the rapid expansion of this deeply disturbing practice. Cartoonist Khalil Bendib makes a biblical allegory of it. And Lizet Ocampo pushes back against the parallel attacks on so-called “sanctuary cities,” which research shows actually have less crime than non-sanctuary jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, as graduation season comes to an end, Josh Hoxie reports on an inspiring campaign to bring free higher education back to America’s largest state (and maybe yours, too). And as Pride Month kicks off, Jill Richardson reflects on how so-called “pro-family” anti-LGBTQIA bias actually divides families.
Also this week, fast food worker Tanya Harrell shares her story of workplace harassment, which she and other women are working to end in their industry. And in an analogy our small-handed president would surely understand, Jim Hightower unfavorably compares Donald Trump’s “limp twig” to Teddy Roosevelt’s famed “big stick.”
- Nevermind the Wall — They’re Building Warehouses / Peter Certo
The newest plank of immigration enforcement? Kidnapping children and piling them into detention centers. - My Fast Food Nightmare / Tanya Harrell
40 percent of women fast-food workers have been sexually harassed at work. I was one — and McDonald’s did nothing about it. - The Truth About ‘Sanctuary Cities’ / Lizet Ocampo
Keeping local police out of the deportation business actually means safer communities. - Back When College Was Debt-Free / Josh Hoxie
America’s largest state once offered residents a world-class, debt-free college education. It could again, and so could your state. - ‘Pro-Family’ Homophobia Rips Families Apart / Jill Richardson
Anti-queer bias turns parents against kids. It has to stop. - Speak Loudly and Carry a Limp Twig / Jim Hightower
Trump once promised a Teddy Roosevelt-style populist agenda. There’s nothing left of it. - King Donald’s Final Solution / Khalil Bendib
