Broken attachments

If you’ve ever been in a relationship in which your partner or spouse left you — physically exited the relationship — then you might have an idea of what children abruptly taken from their parents experience. As adults, typical thoughts arise: What did I do wrong? Will he/she ever return? How will I go on living? Can we reconcile? What can I do to get them to return? Whom can I call for consolation?

Children don’t have the same capability of understanding the rationale for being separated. Separation from parents or caregivers with whom they have a bond and attachment is frightening, clinically traumatic.

Would we expect a child to understand college math or science when they are 2 or 3 or 7 years old? Then how could we assume that children could possibly understand the rationale for separation from their source of security and love? How could we think children could understand what “in the interest of national security” means?

President Trump challenged Congress to devise an immigration plan that could avoid an extreme situation. Congress and the administration have not successfully devised that plan. This week Congress recessed to go home — to the people with whom they have attachments. But the children affected because there is no policy yet have been detained.

Maybe there should be a zerotolerance rule for lawmakers: “Congress, you can’t go home to your loved ones until you devise a fair and compassionate policy for helpless children to be with their loved ones.” DONALD STREIT

North Little Rock