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4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer (gothamist.com)

submitted 1 day ago by moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

78 comments fedilink hide all child comments

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/42834907

“The reason we’re here is because the government of the United States wants you to leave the United States,” Judge Ubaid ul-Haq, presiding from a courtroom on Varick Street, told a group of about a dozen children on a recent morning on Webex.

The parties included a 7-year-old boy, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a pizza cartoon, who spun a toy windmill while the judge spoke. There was an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister, in a tie-dye shirt, who squeezed a pink plushy toy and stuffed it into her sleeve. None of the children were accompanied by parents or attorneys, only shelter workers who helped them log on to the hearing.

Immigrant advocates and lawyers say an increasing number of migrant children are making immigration court appearances without the assistance of attorneys, which they say will lead to more children getting deported.

“That child will be ordered deported from this country — that could all happen without that child ever speaking with an attorney and given the opportunity to obtain representation,” Shah said. “The cruelty is really apparent to all of us out here in the field.”

holy shit

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[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 22 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Judge: I will help you since you have no lawyer.

4 year old girl: No habla Engles

following translated:

Judge: Where were you born?

girl: I don't remember. I was too young.

Judge: If you show me a US birth certificate or SS ID card, I can help you not be deported.

girl: uhhh... what? what is words?

[–] uis@lemm.ee 7 points 2 hours ago

SS ID card

This invokes some unpleasant aSSociations.

[–] ulterno@programming.dev -2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (2 children)

If the parents are being deported anyway, why don't they let their children go with them?

If a 4 year old (with her 8 yo sister next to her) is unable to realise and say that they had some papers related to their birth, which were separated from them (probably confiscated by the ICE and disposed off) I'd say, it's better for them to be deported.
Hopefully to a country with lesser brain-rot/poison in the water. Really, someone (country) just come and accept the children already. They need a better place than that.

Even better. Once they are accepted in a more reasonable country, they might have a better chance at reuniting with their parents.
I'd say, this is a good time for action for governments that are looking for more next-generation population.

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 3 points 48 minutes ago (1 children)

If the parents are being deported anyway, why don’t they let their children go with them?

Key part missing from article is what happened to their parents. Presumably, if prosecution is honest, the kids were in fact not born here, and so are not citizens by birthright. Cruelty and unfairness as a point, does not make facts relevant. Were parents abducted without opportunity to take their children? If no due process, or even DOJ intervention in cases, then its not the jack booted thug ordered to send a parent to a death camp, that will pause the order to go pick up the kids from school, not that the parents would want kids in the death camp.

Story is horrible. Maybe the answer to what happened to parents would make it seem less horrible on US fascism angle. Maybe the fascism is so intense that no one is told what happened to the parents.

[–] ulterno@programming.dev 2 points 37 minutes ago* (last edited 34 minutes ago)

At this point, I don't think we need to care about where those people were born.

The government has decided to harass the people and if another government can come and say, "We will provide you 'work that pays' and a 'space to live'.", a lot of those people would be willing to go through the temporary strain of going to another country and adjusting.

And if the US govt. is willing to say 'NO' to the offer and torture the people, well, Putin might be shitting too much, but is still a politician and I don't see him letting go of the opportunity to band with UK (and the rest of the world), to go against the US this time.

One holocaust is enough for history. At least wait for the civilisation to (inevitably) forget the previous one, before creating another.

[–] stembolts@programming.dev -1 points 46 minutes ago* (last edited 38 minutes ago)

If the parents are being deported anyway, why don't they let their children go with them?

It's helpful when someone who is going to say something dumb says, "I didn't read the article and will now assume what it said," in their opening sentence. Thank you internet dumb person, thank you.

There are no guardians, that is the point. The adults that were helping were lawyer groups to help discover if these children were, oh, idk, born here and thus citizens of the country under the US Constitution. Trump de-funded that group. So now a four year old is appointed as their own lawyer. Government Efficiency at its finest!

Imagine (please don't hurt your brain, it's okay if you can't imagine, you are doing your best) you are four, the police pick them up. They ask, "Please share with us your documents to prove your citizenship. No adult help allowed." You'd be in Mexico too, probably smarter than you are now so hey maybe a positive outcome for you.

God damn, what an unempathetic illiterate asshole.

READ you stupid fuck. REAAAD.