By Jonathan Ramirez
Kirstjen Nielsen was the former poster-child for family separation and her replacement will be worse. Which is truly saying something.
McAlneenan has been one of the main enforcers for “zero tolerance” of immigrants crossing the border for enforcing and defending it.
He has also supported the president’s border wall and testified before Congress stating that there is a crisis at the border, according to CNN.
The newly appointed acting secretary is in a position to be potentially more unsympathetic and more vindictive than Nielsen, potentially painting a worse future for those who still and will suffer.
Nielsen had more of a resistance to hard immigration measures being pushed by Trump and his aides that McAlneenan does not have.
Nielsen has lied to Congress with undaunted denial about the deterration of asylum seekers by threatening to seperate them from their children.
According to The Guardian, on April 10 Nielsen officially resigned from her position as the secretary for Homeland Security after releasing a resignation letter April 7.
Nielsen has been involved in the immoral separation of immigrant children from their parents coming from our southern border and vehemently defends the orders carried out by the Trump administration.
With her position she has wrongfully and continually assured the public that children are being cared for.
However, her assurance was nothing more than a repugnant lie about the lives of innocent children.
According to official reports by Homeland Security, two children died in government custody in 2018. Felipe Gomez Alonzo, an 8-year old boy died Dec. 24 and was suffering a fever and vomiting. A 7-year old girl named Jakelin Caal died less than two days after being apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A person that holds a high position in federal border security should be fierce to those who commit wrong, but have enough empathy for those who are genuinely innocent.
Instead, Nielsen focused on viewing immigrants as law breaking cattle rather than human beings seeking a better quality of life.
According to Time Magazine, Nielsen was assertive in pursuing the goals of President Donald Trump in every way except for one: Trump’s demand to completely close off the ports of entry along the southern border.
This specific clash between Nielson and Trump ended with him calling for her resignation. Temporarily replacing her with commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Kevin McAlneenan.
This apathetic behavior carried out by the Trump administration carries no obvious respect towards basic human lives and with McAlneenan at the helm of immigration, it may spell even harsher conditions if that is even
