by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen made her first appearance before the (now) Democratic controlled House Homeland Security Committee yesterday. Democrats on the committee were predictably aggressive in their questioning of the secretary, and she was overtly evasive and dismissive in her answers.
Two especially contentious areas of disagreement emerged between the committee members and the secretary. One involved the trauma, both immediate and long-term, that children suffer as a result of being removed from their families, and the other involved the chainlink enclosures in which many migrant children and families are detained.
Some committee members questioned whether Secretary Nielsen was aware of research showing the psychological harm that children suffer when they are forcibly removed from their families, and, if so, had she simply chosen to ignore it. The secretary parried back that she felt the real harm came when the parents "illegally" brought their children to the border.
Secretary Nielsen also continued carrying water for the Trump administration when the subject of "cages" came up, as it did repeatedly. She was steadfast in her assertion that the chainlink enclosures are not cages. When asked what she called chainlink enclosures sitting atop cement floors, the secretary said that they are "detention spaces" and had been known as such for years. A congresswoman from New Jersey pointed out that they are exactly like the "cage" that she keeps her dog in, and a Congressman from Mississippi told the secretary that he had visited a detention center and seen the enclosures firsthand - and he assured her that they are "cages."
Tuh-may-toe, tuh-mah-toe, one must suppose. But political leanings aside, living inside of a large wire box in an immense noisy warehouse must be very frightening to the most vulnerable among us, whether they are caged with their parents or not.
Secretary Nielsen did voice her opinion before the House Homeland Security Committee that building a wall along the southern border would help to resolve the issue - a position not backed by reliable research.
Several months ago there was talk that Kirstjen Nielsen was on the outs with Trump and he was planning on replacing her. Now, however, she seems to have reconnected with the administration's line on immigration and she is back in Trump's favor.
Who knew that a soul could be bought for the price of a job?
Citizen Journalist
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen made her first appearance before the (now) Democratic controlled House Homeland Security Committee yesterday. Democrats on the committee were predictably aggressive in their questioning of the secretary, and she was overtly evasive and dismissive in her answers.
Two especially contentious areas of disagreement emerged between the committee members and the secretary. One involved the trauma, both immediate and long-term, that children suffer as a result of being removed from their families, and the other involved the chainlink enclosures in which many migrant children and families are detained.
Some committee members questioned whether Secretary Nielsen was aware of research showing the psychological harm that children suffer when they are forcibly removed from their families, and, if so, had she simply chosen to ignore it. The secretary parried back that she felt the real harm came when the parents "illegally" brought their children to the border.
Secretary Nielsen also continued carrying water for the Trump administration when the subject of "cages" came up, as it did repeatedly. She was steadfast in her assertion that the chainlink enclosures are not cages. When asked what she called chainlink enclosures sitting atop cement floors, the secretary said that they are "detention spaces" and had been known as such for years. A congresswoman from New Jersey pointed out that they are exactly like the "cage" that she keeps her dog in, and a Congressman from Mississippi told the secretary that he had visited a detention center and seen the enclosures firsthand - and he assured her that they are "cages."
Tuh-may-toe, tuh-mah-toe, one must suppose. But political leanings aside, living inside of a large wire box in an immense noisy warehouse must be very frightening to the most vulnerable among us, whether they are caged with their parents or not.
Secretary Nielsen did voice her opinion before the House Homeland Security Committee that building a wall along the southern border would help to resolve the issue - a position not backed by reliable research.
Several months ago there was talk that Kirstjen Nielsen was on the outs with Trump and he was planning on replacing her. Now, however, she seems to have reconnected with the administration's line on immigration and she is back in Trump's favor.
Who knew that a soul could be bought for the price of a job?
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