For practical solution

In the waning days of the shutdown, President Trump offered Democrats temporary protection for young people in the U.S. who were brought here without authorization as children in exchange for border funding. Trading the safety of some to deter others is not only morally wrong, it’s ineffective.

President Trump and other Americans either cannot or aren’t willing to understand the circumstances under which immigrants are fleeing. Simply put, if children and families are running from unspeakable horrors, a wall will not stop them.

I was recently in Arizona volunteering for the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, doing legal work in juvenile detention centers, meeting with children in crisis through no fault of their own.

One child, a 13-year-old boy named Pablo from El Salvador, told me he was afraid to stay in El Salvador because his older brother had been murdered by gang members. Soon after the assassination of his brother, Pablo embarked by himself on the dangerous journey to the United States—an ordinary child forced to go through extraordinary events.

We like to think of the United States as a land of opportunity, the same way Pablo did when he left his home. Trump’s plan to build a wall—while perhaps a good soundbite—won’t keep kids like Pablo from coming here when they can’t stay safe at home. We must do better as a country. We must move beyond talking about an ineffective wall, and provide humane, practical solutions for these children.

JULIO OLAYA

Little Rock