ASYLUM: Seek it legally

There is no picture that will get hold of our emotions more than a child being violently taken away from his parents. (It reminds me of the little Cuban boy taken from his uncle at gunpoint during the Obama administration.)

Suzanne Marshall, during a Families Belong Together Rally Saturday evening, made the following comment: “There’s been an overwhelming emotional response to seeing kids ripped from their parents’ arms when these parents are coming here for asylum, which is totally legal.”

True it is legal to apply for asylum but the person must come here legally and their life must be in danger in their home country. It is also very probable that the children were not “ripped” from their parents’ arms. (The crying child on the cover of Time Magazine has also been shown to be false; his mother was nearby.)

It is illegal to enter this country illegally. (Duh!) Whenever someone is arrested and they have children with them the person is put in jail awaiting trial and some provision is made for the children: Placed with a relative or put in foster care. That is true no matter where the crime happens. It is even true here in Kootenai County.

Many children come here with someone who is not a relative. There is no defense. Courts that handle asylum cases are way backed up. The best thing anyone can do is to stay on the other side of the border, or apply for asylum before crossing the border. Crossing the border illegally only adds to their problems.

Our border patrol work hard to protect the lives of those who come here illegally. But the children are not violently taken away. They are placed in care and well cared for. President Trump is working hard to protect our borders and we need to give him all the help we can. Children cannot be used as a means to enter the country illegally.

JIM HOLLINGSWORTH

Coeur d’Alene