Skip to main content

Opinion on Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy from a Foster Kid!




I can remember it like it was yesterday! The day that I got separated from my biological family has been seared into my memory for the last 21 years. It was a somber day. It was filled with dread, sadness, and anxiety as I put my life possessions into black trash bags: toys, clothes, and games…most of which I would never see again anyway. My siblings and I had no idea what fate awaited us as we piled into the back seat of the social workers car… a woman whom we would never see again either! Being separated from my family was devastating. The trauma that was produced from that early experience marked my adolescence with trust issues, problems with authority figures, and a battle with rejection that I continue to engage in to this day. After spending about 7 years in the Michigan foster care system, I can attest to the fact that it is an experience that no one should ever have to endure.

My heart breaks when I view the images of children in distress after being separated from their families due to President Trump’s Zero Tolerance policy. I know that their separation from the people whom they love most is the beginning of trauma that will impact their lives forever. They will never forget the stoned faced border patrol officers who took away their parents. They will never forget feeling the fear of not knowing whether they will ever see their family members again. And you can be assured that these children will never forget the sound of crying out for their mothers and fathers to comfort them with no answer.

I ask myself, How can this happen in American? How can this present administration sanction such inhumane practices of ripping children from the arms of their mothers and put children in cages like animals? Have we become a nation that craves political power and votes more than a nation that extends compassion to those who cannot defend themselves?

In a country with such intellectual prowess, wealth, and advancement, it seems hard to believe that a more humane solution to immigration reform cannot be achieved that will protect US borders, uphold US laws, and treat people with basic human rights, regardless of their ethnic background and/or color. I implore President Donald Trump and his administration to stop the ruthless practice of separating children from their parents through the Zero Tolerance Policy. Give these young children the chance to grow up to live happy and healthy lives, free of trauma imposed onto them by losing the people whom they love most.



Sade Bradford-Bond writes a blog that encourages people who experienced foster care at www.onlyamountain13.blogspot.com. See more of her work at www.sadebradford.com.      

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Tips for Rebuilding Relationships for Siblings Separated by Foster Care

When sibling groups are placed into foster care, often times they become separated from one another. Although many agencies make a great effort to keep siblings placed together, the sad reality is that many of these youth are often placed into different homes when they enter into foster care. One of the most unfortunate outcomes for youth aging out of foster care is having limited, fractured, or non-existent relationships with their biological siblings who may remain in care or have already aged out of the system. As young people transition into adulthood, they tend to want to restore relationships with their biological family, especially their siblings. However, when exploring a relationship, many young people may find that they don’t exactly know what to say or how to engage with their siblings to reconnect with them in meaningful ways. Below is a list of five practical tips to help jumpstart the development of any relationship that may have been damaged by sibling separati...
Post a Comment
Read more

Best Gift For Foster Kids This Holiday Season

There is one gift for foster kids that’s critical this holiday season, but it won’t fit underneath the tree. Now, if you’re thinking the cliché expression,” The Gift of Love,” then keeping reading. Unconditional love shown to foster kids who experienced abuse and neglect is very   important, however teaching foster kids to love themselves and have hope for a better tomorrow is the best gift that any person can give to a foster kid for the holidays. Every year, about 400,000 kids spend time in the U.S. foster care system. As the holiday season approaches, feelings of low-self esteem and low self-worth plague foster kids around the country as they prepare to be without their families! Have a positive impact on foster kids by teaching them to think and say positive things about themselves, their families, and about their future.  Click  HERE for some amazing resources to give foster kids this holiday season that will teach them to love themselves, have more c...
Post a Comment
Read more