LETTER TO THE EDITOR / CRUELTY AS DETERRENCE POLICY
Roger C. Kostmayer
Regardless of party or ideology, most Americans agree that border security is important. Most
also understand that our Constitution, laws and traditions (including the Statue of Liberty) make
it legal for people and families fleeing deadly conditions to apply for asylum and be considered
in good faith, regardless of how they got here.
These vulnerable humans without proper papers are not rapists and murderers, as fear
mongering politicians would have you believe. Data show that immigrants are LESS likely to
commit violent crimes than natural born citizens. The level of incoming immigration has
dropped radically while the need for these workers has grown. Many US industries and
employers – especially agriculture, hospitality, maintenance and gardening – need employees
who do jobs American workers decline.
Under our present regime, young immigrant children are taken from their parents, with horrific
medical and psychological consequences. Children are dying while in the custody of the United
States – including 6 and 8 year olds. This is neither acceptable nor is it who we are as
Americans.
Thank you for another letter to celebrate President Trump in office. (Don’t forget to send a Participation Prize card to the lady.)
Oh the poor women and children, as perspective:
dcf.state.fl: Total Child Fatalities 2018: 432
Letter writer is myopic (Oxford Dictionary: lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.)…”Children are dying while in the custody of the United States – including 6 and 8 year olds. This is neither acceptable nor is it who we are as Americans.”
“Physician, heal thyself”… oh for the women and children….
Florida Matters: DCF Secretary Says Child Fatalities Are Public Health Issue
By CARSON COOPER & LOTTIE WATTS • NOV 3, 2015 WUSF Public Media
CARROLL: In the state of Florida, we get about 450 reports called into the hotline every year that involve a child fatality. 450. To me, that’s an outrageous number. But when you look at it more deeply, the leading cause of death is unsafe sleep, where there was not an intentional act. It was either a parent co-slept with a baby, or they were put in an unsafe crib or they were put on a couch. There are times when folks co-sleep with a child and they are on substances. To me, that’s neglectful. To me, that should be a crime. That’s no different to me than driving under the influence. Second leading cause of death in Florida is child drowning. Some of that is directly associated with minimal parent oversight and supervision, and the third leading cause of death for children called into the hotline is SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) or some other natural cause of death. I say that because if you go and you compare our child fatalities numbers with our states, most states don’t report those type deaths to their hotline. There has to be abuse and neglect, so a lot of times when other states report, they only report out on inflicted trauma deaths.
CARROLL: One is too many; 450 to me is an absolute red flag for this state that we have a public health issue around children and child deaths in this state.
Then tell Congress to change the law. Blaming it all on President Trump is an easy panacea but one that doesn’t address core issues. All the blame game accomplishes is to demoralize and to pit citizens one against the other. Unless, of course, the aim is to do precisely that…
Last time I checked, each and every country whence those migrants are emanating has a US Consulate. The proper route is to apply in their respective country for asylum or legal immigration. Forcing one’s way into the US sovereign space is called invasion. Lucky for them we don’t shoot first and take names second.