‘Tear Gassing Children Is Outrageous and Inhumane’: US Condemned for Violence Against Asylum Seekers
“Asking to be considered a refugee & applying for status isn’t a crime,” says Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after U.S. Border agents fire tear gas into Mexico.
(Common Dreams) As legal experts and human rights advocates overnight and Monday morning continued to denounce the tear gassing of children and other asylum seekers by U.S. forces at the Mexico border on Sunday, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was among Democratic lawmakers who slammed the Trump administration for its treatment of refugees as she issued a reminder that vulnerable people fleeing violence and persecution have the right, codified by domestic and international law, to apply for asylum protection.
Asking to be considered a refugee & applying for status isn’t a crime.
It wasn’t for Jewish families fleeing Germany.
It wasn’t for targeted families fleeing Rwanda.
It wasn’t for communities fleeing war-torn Syria.
And it isn’t for those fleeing violence in Central America. https://t.co/qhv7Rr1itn— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 25, 2018
“The migrants at our southern border include mothers and small children exercising their legal, human right to seek asylum,” declared the ACLU in a tweet on Monday morning, and told the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, “Tear gassing children is outrageous and inhumane.”
As the Guardian reports, this is what it looked like:
The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR) said that with asylum seekers, including children, being choked by tear gas along the U.S. border with Mexico, “a humanitarian crisis becoming even more inhumane.” Echoing Ocasio-Cortez and other rights groups, NNIRR emphasized that both “U.S. and international laws say these migrants have the right to apply for asylum.”
Adding this perspective, Karen Attiah, global opinions editor for the Washington Post, tweeted:
This is how American media would describe this if this happened in a non western country:
“American security forces under the Trump regime used *chemical weapons* in a cross border operation against unarmed asylum seekers, including children. “
My God. https://t.co/LeIGhJmiPn
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) November 26, 2018
Meanwhile, as Trump continued to demonize the migrants and refugees in Mexico—”many of whom are stone cold criminals,” he claimed without evidence Monday morning—Guardian journalist Bryan Mealer and photographer Hans-Maximo Musielik, who have traveled extensively with refugees that left Honduras months ago, published an up-close-and-personal account showing how “the most vulnerable among them,” risked their lives—braving terrifying and dangerous conditions—to reach safety.
UNBELIEVABLE AND CRUEL!!!
Dragging your children along to commit a federal crime is inhumane.
Dragging a child hundreds if miles because of a lie and being paid to do so …. Is even wirse then any tear gas
Sandra Crowley no. Tear gasing them is. Oh, and nobody is paying them
if you want to believe that …. For poor peoples they look awful fresh and clean for refugees fleeing for their lives…. My opinion only
Sandra Crowley you must be a trumper
You freakin whiners! Shoot a few and watch them scatter. Tear gas is human! Freakin crybabys Grow up! This is an INVASION you thick headed idiots!
Kennith Berryhill you racist soggy bottoms shit-kicker they should have tear gases your mother when she was having you.
Hector. I have been exposed to tear gas. It does not kill you. The illegals trying to invade our country have already “KILLED” one board patrol agent with rocks. Should they do nothing to defend themselves? Were is your national pride? Do you even pay taxes? Are you here legal or illegal? You think the 90 billion dollars spend to take care of illegals is ok then? It appears you are a sissy bleeding heart liberal. Most likely your on the dial. Yourself. Are you socialist as well?
Your right! I bleed RED,WHITE AND BLUE!
I BELIEVE IN GOD,BIBLE,FAMILY MILITARY,COUNTRY,AND GUNS!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Kennith Berryhill hey. Fuck you racist asshole
Kennith Berryhill we can’t let those brown people in they are going to make us white folks the new minority. Non of this mess was necessary. The Trump administration knew for months they were coming, they should have been prepared to process then and weed out those not
eligible for asylum and turn them back. Seeking asylum is legal by American and Iinternational Law.
Stone Branham, I have nothing against blacks,brown,yellow or white. I do not want to pay for them!
Why was Obama not criticized for tear gassing kids a number of different times,Hypocrisy at its Utmost !!!
Kennith Berryhill
Don’t be so confident this could be you if trump continues trashing our country you could be there taking gas in your face
Why nothing was said, made a big issue when Obmama did plus Pepper Spray.
Play stupid games…win stupid prizes!
What Is Outrageous and Inhumane is Our very Young Children, Females, Males of all ages Including Seniors Is Living on our Streets,no Protection from weather conditions, Eating out of Trash Cans and only if they are lucky to find anything to eat,, Now That is More Outrageous then those to enter or want, try to enter our country and we pay the way for them, Sorry but it time to spend our tax money on Our Citizens and Not on, for ILLEGALS.
Ah shut up liars. This is a photo-op.. dont throw objects at US customs and storm the borders you pos
So unAmerican
Don’t ever dehumanize any humans ever regardless of whoever they are! As we all have the same emotions as a human being! Respect all mankind as there is only one Earth for all mankind equally!! Here is the truth, no one is free when others are suffering!! Stop hurting your brothers!!
Tear gasing babys and little children The shame of America How low can we go
Fake News a staged event!
Take ur selves back home n apply legally
Dave Mickelson, you must be a Trumper!?You call it fake news! Just wait till Trump supporters like you see the results of Trumps actions, the farmers are already complaining, GMC is losing jobs overseas, they are recalling lettuce because of looser regulations in Agriculture, the richest of this country got tax breaks, did you? Even if you did this year, you won’t next year! There are more and more hate crimes since Trump took office. Many of the people I’ve spoken to regret having voted for that so called “ president “, they call him unhinged, childish and a dictator. Thank God the Democrats took over the House and will stop his madness!
God bless America?we really need it!!??
It is simple. If you don’t want to be exposed to pepper spray, stay away. Go home.