A couple weeks ago @taylorklevy alerted me late on a Friday night to a case of a disabled, 12 y/o boy that was missing. We jumped into action, but turns out our govt had already put him on a plane, alone & confused, and "expelled" him to Guatemala. reuters.com/article/us-usa…
Gustavo's story is infuriating. On Saturday 8/29, I woke up to an email from ICE telling me they had already expelled him alone to Guatemala. His mom, trapped in Juarez in the "Remain in Mexico" program, still had no idea where he was. I had to call her and be the one to tell her
As Gustavo's case played out, I had flashbacks to 2018 when kids were being ripped from their parents at the border. The chaos, the lack of focus on child welfare, the confusion, the network of lawyers and others helping to find him -- it was all so familiar. And disheartening.
When I talked about Gustavo's case later that same Saturday on @AliciaMenendez's show, I wanted to make sure that people knew that his story, while almost incomprehensibly cruel, is not unique. Our govt has expelled more than 3000 children from the border since the pandemic began
These expulsions w/o due process are an escalation of Trump's efforts to dismantle asylum entirely. Gustavo, a vulnerable asylum-seeking child, is exactly who they want to keep out. They don't care what happens to him. But I know there are still many people in the US who do.
When we say they are using covid as an excuse to eliminate asylum entirely, we are talking cases like Gustavo and 1000s more like him. Cases of the most vulnerable among us who come seeking protection, and are shoved right back into danger by those they thought would help.
Please read and share Gustavo's story. Please don't let them continue to abuse children in this way in the shadows. #StayOutraged #RestoreAsylumNow #FamiliesBelongTogether
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