Washington D.C., Jun 14, 2018 / 01:52 am
As the Trump administration considers building a tent city for immigrant children separated from their parents, one Catholic group warned that the plan would cause additional trauma to those who are already vulnerable.
"Detaining children in any kind of setting is never a good idea for the children. It leads to all sorts of medical, emotional and developmental repercussions, even when they are detained with their parents," said Patricia Zapor, communications director for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC).
"Detaining children away from their parents is an even worse idea, and in tents, in the harsh climate of Texas – that's a recipe for disaster," Zapor told CNA.
The tent city plan, reported by McClatchyDC, comes amid a recent spike in the number of unaccompanied children at the border, due to the administration's "zero tolerance" policy which has enforced the separation of migrant children from their parents who have been detained by officials.