The International Community is Shunning Us, DHS is Imploding, and Ted Cruz Wants to Be Your Hero

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | June 18, 2018 |

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | June 18, 2018 |

Though relief was slow to come in Puerto Rico (or never came at all), the American government has wasted no time building “tent cities” for children separated from their families.

Just In: these are pictures of the tents that are set up in Tornillo (West Texas) to house children who’ve been separated from their families after crossing the border illegally

Source: Administration for Children and Families at the US Dept of Health and Human Services pic.twitter.com/830ydULf5g

— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) June 18, 2018

Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen got shellacked for her performance at a White House press briefing today, answering questions about children being separated from their families at the border while also dodging questions about child abuse (we give them “videos and TVs”!).

this performance will follow Nielsen the rest of her life

— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) June 18, 2018

DHS is “imploding” over the policy.

.@ainsley just told me a DHS official she talked to today referred to agency "imploding" over this policy. #inners

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 19, 2018

I have six emails from friends there asking to talk about what they will do next as they can't do this anymore. All Republicans or independents. https://t.co/mEqsyDrcVM

— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) June 19, 2018

The International Community is treating us the way we once treated countries like North Korea and China, before we became their friends:

UN Human Rights commissioner:

"In the United States, I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions … The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." pic.twitter.com/eSFUo0wZ57

— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 18, 2018

… and for good reason, as this is the kind of thing going on right now.

a terrified girl called her aunt begging for help. via @ProPublica pic.twitter.com/wYTYalDzf8

— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) June 18, 2018

Elsewhere, Fox News continues to defend the policy, referring to those people who oppose separating children from their parents as “the ruling class” while blowing into those dog whistles so loudly that WWII Germany can hear them.

.@TuckerCarlson: "This is one of those moments that tells you everything about our ruling class. They care far more about foreigners than about their own people." #Tucker pic.twitter.com/ZtGITDMj9A

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 19, 2018

Speaking of Germany, Trump is using that country to blow his own dog whistle.

The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018

Nevertheless, every Democrat in the Senate has signed on to the Keep Families Together Act, a bill that would keep families together pending deportation. It needs only two Republicans to pass, but guys like Jeff Flake and John McCain — who are supposedly opposed to these practices — have so far refused to sign on. Same with Susan Collins.

It just takes two more Senators to pass the bill, but fuck it: Senator Ted Cruz — who at least recognizes how unpopular this policy is — has decided to start from scratch and try something else.

NEW: Sen. Ted Cruz is introducing "emergency legislation" to keep immigrant families together after crossing the border.

"All Americans are rightly horrified by the images we are seeing on the news, children in tears pulled away from their mothers and fathers. This must stop." pic.twitter.com/wlywSf3s3O

— Deena Zeina Zaru 👩🏻‍💻 (@Deena_Zaru) June 18, 2018

The fine print there is the bill basically pumps money into the system so that deportations will happen quicker, so that parent and child can be more quickly sent back to the country where they are facing violence.

Well, you got what you want, Trump. No one is talking about the Russian probe now except you.