{"id":17277,"date":"2018-06-21T15:27:46","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T19:27:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=17277"},"modified":"2018-12-28T10:20:37","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T15:20:37","slug":"leftists-gamble-on-belief-americans-oppose-family-detention-but-that-is-a-losing-bet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2018\/06\/21\/leftists-gamble-on-belief-americans-oppose-family-detention-but-that-is-a-losing-bet\/","title":{"rendered":"Leftists Gamble on Belief Americans Oppose Family Detention, But That is a Losing Bet"},"content":{"rendered":"

For weeks, the myth-fueled media coverage of the Trump administration\u2019s \u201czero-tolerance\u201d policy focused on children being separated from their parents after attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. The public relations offensive mounted by open borders advocates resulted in President Trump taking executive action<\/a> to address family separation at the border.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s Executive Order moved to bring about a solution to a burgeoning crisis fairly quickly, but not quickly enough to keep pace with the moving goal posts of his open border caucus.<\/p>\n

Surely, critics would embrace any proposal to ensure children were no longer \u201cbeing ripped from their mothers\u201d or \u201ctorn out of the arms\u201d of their fathers.<\/p>\n

When Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced narrowly-written \u201cemergency legislation<\/a>\u201d intended to keep illegal immigrant families together as their cases were processed, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was not satisfied.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president alone can fix it with a flick of a pen by signing a presidential order to end the agonizing screams of small children who have been separated from their parents,\u201d Schumer said<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

And when he did, Schumer again was unsatisfied.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems that the administration lacks a plan, intention, and a sense of urgency to begin reuniting these children \u2014 many of whom have suffered serious emotional anguish \u2014 with their parents,\u201d said Schumer in a letter to Trump<\/a> that was co-written with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.<\/p>\n

Pelosi, in her own press release, proclaimed<\/a> from her high horse that \u201cinstead of protecting traumatized children, the President has directed his Attorney General to pave the way for the long-term incarceration of families in prison-like conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seemed with the swipe of the presidential pen, the goalposts had been moved. It was not about separating families, it has always been about detaining<\/em> families or any individual who has entered the U.S. illegally.<\/p>\n

Amnesty advocates may believe the American people are equally opposed to family detention, but they would be wrong.<\/p>\n

A new\u00a0poll<\/a>\u00a0conducted by The Economist and YouGov shows overwhelming support for the administration\u2019s other immigration actions.<\/p>\n

Yes, there was public opposition to the practice of separating families \u2013 a mere 18 percent strongly approved and 14 percent somewhat approved of separating children from their parents or guardians.<\/p>\n

The same cannot be said for family detention. Asked how illegal alien families should be handled, a majority (43 percent) said to \u201chold families together in family detention centers until an immigration hearing at a later date.\u201d<\/p>\n

And half of all Americans (32 percent strongly approved and 18 percent somewhat approved) are in favor of \u201cthe new federal policy to arrest and send to jail anyone who crosses the border into the United States without proper documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar findings were shown in a June\u00a0Politico\/Morning Consult<\/a>\u00a0online poll. That survey found 49 percent of registered voters backed referring for prosecution those who are found illegally entering the United States from Mexico.<\/p>\n

Immigration is a complicated issue \u2013 and so are Americans\u2019 views on it.