ICE Using Children as 'Bait': A Feature, Not a Bug, of US Immigration Policy
📰 THE STORY: Newsweek reports on claims by a Massachusetts school that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers attempted to use a 5-year-old child to lure the child's parents, who were undocumented immigrants, into custody. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The systematic separation of families at the U.S. border reached a horrifying peak under the Trump
administration's 'zero tolerance' policy in 2018, leading to thousands of children being torn from their parents. However, family separation and the weaponization of children in immigration enforcement predates this, with reports of similar tactics and highly coercive practices documented for years under various administrations. The Border Patrol's origins, established in 1924, are rooted in
racialized enforcement and control, a pattern that has only intensified. Double Standard: While the global media expresses appropriate outrage when children are used as leverage in conflicts abroad (e.g., child soldiers, hostage situations), the systematic cruelty inflicted upon migrant children by US agencies is often framed as an 'unfortunate side effect' of necessary enforcement, or an
'isolated incident,' rather than a direct consequence of policy. There is little scrutiny of the billions funneled into these enforcement mechanisms compared to calls for humanitarian aid. Follow the Money: The US immigration detention industry is a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. Private prison corporations like GEO Group and CoreCivic, notorious for their poor conditions and human rights