The Travel Ban Separated a Nursing Baby from Her Mother for Hours
Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you might be on, there’s one thing anyone with half a heart can agree on: Infants shouldn’t be separated from their mothers for long periods of time without being properly cared for. While the ACLU was fighting to get as many people free as possible last weekend after sweeping Muslim travel bans affected hundreds of thousands of legal residents, some of the lawyers were focused on having an 11-month-old baby reunited with her mother, after being separated for hours — leaving the baby hungry, as she is still nursing.
According to a post on parenting website Scary Mommy, a permanent resident who originated from Sudan was detained at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport for hours and separated from her 11-month-old baby girl, who is a natural American citizen. The ACLU worked for hours to ensure that the mother was not deported while her baby was kept from her. Think about that. A baby’s mother, who is legally entitled to be here, may have been deported to Sudan without her baby, because her baby was born here and she was not. This is not okay.
With protests continuing throughout the country, it’s hard to keep up with all the dramatic decrees coming from the White House. Some, like minority leader Nancy Pelosi stated last night on her CNN Town Hall, believe the administration is doing this to keep people preoccupied while they shuffle as much around as they can. Whatever the reasoning, we hope that the families affected by these bans and other sudden strict policies receive the support and help they need to remain safe.
What is the strangest story you’ve heard about the travel ban? Tell us @BritandCo!
(h/t Refinery29; photos via Anadolu Agency, Joshua Lott/Getty)