Sussexes champion anti-trump wall charity
Royal couple use social media to highlight group helping would-be migrants trapped at Mexico border
THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex have indicated their support for a Californian migrant charity that opposes Donald Trump’s Mexico border wall plan.
The couple have chosen to highlight a number of different charities on their Instagram page each month, championing causes close to their hearts.
The latest theme of “community” saw them follow a broad range of organisations, from a small support group for maternal mental health in Essex to a Tanzanian children’s home, a riding stables for the disabled and an all-female black mamba antipoaching unit.
One of the accounts that the couple “followed” is that of Border Kindness, a charity founded just last year in direct response to the US president’s plan to build a wall on its southern border.
Before she married into the Royal family, the Duchess made her personal views about Mr Trump clear, accusing him of being “misogynistic” and “divisive” in 2016.
Her support for Border Kindness comes just days after Prince Harry announced he stood shoulder-toshoulder with Greta Thunberg, the teenage climate campaigner, who was last month mocked by Mr Trump.
The charity comprises no more than 12 volunteers who work in the Mexicali area of Mexico providing clothes, transport, food and legal aid to thousands of migrants.
Kelly Overton said he founded the group after learning about the migrant caravans and realising there were few resources for those trapped there in limbo. He had no idea that the royal couple even knew of the charity’s existence before he awoke yesterday to a sudden barrage of media interest.
“The world reacts to celebrity,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “And these two are among the most famous people you can get in the world.
“This kind of gesture draws attention to us, it leads to online follows and donations. And looking at the bigger picture, this awful situation needs to change so the more people around the world who hear about what’s going on here the better.”
Mr Overton, who has masters degrees from both Harvard and Columbia universities, said the migrant crisis at the Mexico border was “one of the most inhumane and unfair” crises seen in a generation. “I’m ashamed of this country I’m from,” he said.
“To treat people like this is just beyond belief and we see on the ground that it’s getting worse.
“Our response is in direct response to Mr Trump’s immigration policies. We work with women and children who are incredibly vulnerable, who have nothing when they arrive at this city in the desert.” He noted that if “white kids were taken from their parents and put somewhere” there would be international outrage.