Long before the Trump administration implemented its “zero tolerance” immigration enforcement policy in 2018, it was already separating children from their parents as part of a “pilot program” conducted in the El Paso, Texas, area and along other parts of the border.
The SPLC and its allies have filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration policy that has separated and traumatized thousands of migrant families.
After seeking asylum from Guatemala at a port of entry in 2017, M.C.L. and his 7-year-old son spent two days in various cells where the temperature was kept extremely cold, with only a thin blanket and a single mattress to share.
Facing gang violence and extortion in Guatemala, J.V.S. and his 5-year-old daughter fled their home to seek refuge in the U.S.
After a 1,500-mile trek from Honduras, Moises and his 6-year-old son, Carlos, crossed the border together in May.
