Below is my full thread on the debate tonight, but I'm rewatching the family separation exchange right now. A few thoughts. /1
https://twitter.com/TomJawetz/status/1319444986153361409
Grateful @kwelkernbc asked Trump first what he would do to reunite all of the families separated due to his policies.
But it's not the US government that can't find the parents of 545 children separated in 2017.
The US government refused to look. It's never looked. /2
But it's not the US government that can't find the parents of 545 children separated in 2017.
The US government refused to look. It's never looked. /2
Instead, because the US government shirked its responsibility to reunite families, a federal court appointed a steering committee of NGOs--including the @aclu and @JusticeInMotion--to do it.
That's something @JoeBiden can change on Day 1. Take responsibility. Lend a hand.
/3
That's something @JoeBiden can change on Day 1. Take responsibility. Lend a hand.
/3
Back to Trump's answer. He begins with a deflection, talking about children brought by coyotes, not children ripped from the arms of their parents.
Then he tries to talk about his wall.
@kwelkernbc asks a second time, Trump deflects and talks about 2014. /4
Then he tries to talk about his wall.
@kwelkernbc asks a second time, Trump deflects and talks about 2014. /4
.@kwelkernbc asks a third time: "Do you have a plan to reunite the kids?"
Trump says, "Yes, we're working on it very... we're trying very hard, but a lot of these kids come out without their parents."
The second half--again--deflection.
The first half just a blatant lie. /5
Trump says, "Yes, we're working on it very... we're trying very hard, but a lot of these kids come out without their parents."
The second half--again--deflection.
The first half just a blatant lie. /5
In federal court TODAY, when questioned about the kids whose parents cannot be found, government lawyers expressed OPENNESS to assisting the NGOs with the search.
They aren't working on it. They don't have a plan.
THEY REALLY DON'T CARE. DO U? /6
They aren't working on it. They don't have a plan.
THEY REALLY DON'T CARE. DO U? /6
https://twitter.com/JuliaEAinsley/status/1319381946858758144?s=20
Biden's time starts with a strong, clear statement of facts: these 500+ kids came to the border with their parents and were taken away with the specific goal of sending a message of deterrence to other families.
The cruelty was--literally--the point. /7
The cruelty was--literally--the point. /7
Trump responds by repeating the frequently debunked lie that the Obama administration had a policy of separating families and the Trump administration ended it. /8 nytimes.com/2019/08/21/us/…
When Trump finally doesn't deflect from the issue or shirk responsibility, he does something even more grotesque: he crows about how nice the facilities were for the thousands of kids taken from their parents.
Think about that. /9
Think about that. /9
The discussion touched on some other interesting topics--Trump's dismantling of the US asylum system, his termination of #DACA, and the Obama immigration record which evolved over time and took too long to get right, according to Biden (truth). /10
And Biden closes it out by not mincing words: "You have 525 (sic) kids not knowing where in God's name they're gonna be and lost their parents." /11
In the end, Biden didn't offer a clear plan for how he will work to make this human rights atrocity right, but he showed a depth of understanding and anger about the issue and called it a crime.
That's a good start. /12
That's a good start. /12
Trump deflected and lied, but when he crowed and preened about the nice shelters where separated kids were held he did something else: he owned the policy and had the audacity to ask people to praise him for how well he treated kids who he had just forcibly kidnapped. /13
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