Donald Trump is riding into the White House on a wave of campaign promises, and some of them, if fulfilled, could amount to "child abuse," an ex-prosecutor said.
Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance on Friday said that Trump's promise to conduct a mass deportation program will necessarily mean a return to family separation. The separation actions weighed on Trump's first term due to public sentiment opposing the policy.
According to Vance, the family separation will come, but there are things citizens can do to fight back against it.
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"The resurrection of the inhumane 'zero tolerance' policy that led to family separations during Trump’s first administration is still haunting," the legal expert said ahead of the weekend. "While that policy was in effect, 6,000 children were separated from their parents and guardians. About 1,000 have still not been reunited, despite a settlement the ACLU reached with the Biden Administration."
She then noted, "That’s where we’re headed again."
"The thing is, separating kids from their families is a feature, not a bug, of Trump’s immigration policies," she added. "Even if family separation was an unintended consequence during the 1.0 administration—and it wasn’t—Trump understands by now how this works and that more kids will inevitably be forcibly separated from their families if he proceeds with mass deportations."
Vance continued, saying that this go around, "Trump’s immigration policy comes online with far fewer, if any, guardrails in place."
She also gave some tips for how to fight back against the policy, which some have equated to "child abuse."
"The lawyers will do their part, but when Trump starts using the power of the presidency to engage in mass deportations that will harm kids, families, and our communities, it’s going to be up to us to let the White House and our elected officials know what we think about it," she wrote. "We know how to write, call, and show up at our elected officials’ offices. We know how to build groups in our communities and make sure our voices are heard. Lots of things that matter are going to start happening as we get closer to inauguration day. Separating families is something we cannot set aside. In the words of Alex Vindman, 'Here, right matters.' Separating families is not right, and we cannot ignore it."