cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/42834907
“The reason we’re here is because the government of the United States wants you to leave the United States,” Judge Ubaid ul-Haq, presiding from a courtroom on Varick Street, told a group of about a dozen children on a recent morning on Webex.
The parties included a 7-year-old boy, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a pizza cartoon, who spun a toy windmill while the judge spoke. There was an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister, in a tie-dye shirt, who squeezed a pink plushy toy and stuffed it into her sleeve. None of the children were accompanied by parents or attorneys, only shelter workers who helped them log on to the hearing.
Immigrant advocates and lawyers say an increasing number of migrant children are making immigration court appearances without the assistance of attorneys, which they say will lead to more children getting deported.
“That child will be ordered deported from this country — that could all happen without that child ever speaking with an attorney and given the opportunity to obtain representation,” Shah said. “The cruelty is really apparent to all of us out here in the field.”
holy shit
It’s helpful when someone who is going to say something dumb says, “I didn’t read the article and will now assume what it said,” in their opening sentence. Thank you internet dumb person, thank you.
There are no guardians, that is the point. The adults that were helping were lawyer groups to help discover if these children were, oh, idk, born here and thus citizens of the country under the US Constitution. Trump de-funded that group. So now a four year old is appointed as their own lawyer. Government Efficiency at its finest!
Imagine (please don’t hurt your brain, it’s okay if you can’t imagine, you are doing your best) you are four, the police pick them up. They ask, “Please share with us your documents to prove your citizenship. No adult help allowed.” You’d be in Mexico too, probably smarter than you are now so hey maybe a positive outcome for you.
God damn, what an unempathetic illiterate asshole.
READ you stupid fuck. REAAAD.