Why Can't We See That Separating Children from Parents Is Simply Wrong

Only 2 out of 3 Americans disapprove of their current administration's policy of separating children from their parents who have crossed the border illegally. What is more appalling to see is that more than half of Republicans are in favor of this policy. Emma Lazarus' sonnet displayed in America's Statue of Liberty has never been so far removed from reality. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Perhaps, we can stand against illegal immigration. However, we do not need a Statue or an old sonnet to remind us that separating children from their parents is wrong. Even research in basic education tells that this is unsound unequivocally.

"Toxic stress damages developing brain architecture, which can lead to life-long problems in learning, behavior, and physical and mental health." is one of the most important findings in the last decade in neuroscience research.

Copied from The Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Brains subjected to toxic stress have underdeveloped neural connections in areas of the brain most important for successful learning and behavior in school and the workplace. Source: Radley et al (2004); Bock et al (2005). Credit: Center on the Developing Child.

Parents who bring their children to the United States are only fleeing from the violence in their home countries. These children are already under persistent stress before they even arrive at the border, These are parents who only want a better future for their children, a factor we already know universally is correlated with academic success. Recent research has also shown that parents caring for their children is something that is contagious. As Ralph McNeal Jr. tells us in the journal Educational Research for Policy and Practice, "One major finding, or application, is that a “rising tide lifts all boats” when it comes to parent involvement."

Illegal immigration does break the law, but it can never be an excuse to condemn young innocent children. The thirty percent of Americans who approve of this immoral policy should know better. More than half of the Republicans are in favor of such unChristian and unAmerican policy. What a shame.

Above copied from CNN