Anger. Disbelief. Grief. Outrage. Many of us are feeling emotionally overwhelmed and exhausted as we grapple with the news reports coming out of the United States. As part of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, over 2,000 migrant children have been forcibly separated from their parents since April.
While we can’t exert influence as voters in the American system, we can pressure our government. Citizens for Public Justice, an ecumenical organization that supports justice in Canadian policy, suggests calling on Canada to rescind our Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S., which requires our border officials to turn away refugees and asylum seekers at the Canada–U.S. border. The U.S., after all, is no longer a “safe country” for people fleeing persecution.