Jeremy Corbyn has denounced Donald Trump’s “tragic and shocking” migrant policy, making Theresa May look feeble. Recently, Trump defended his ‘zero tolerance‘ immigration policy that has meant border guards separating children from their parents. The US president appeared to dehumanise the caged children, comparing them to a “Trojan horse”. He justified such language by alleging criminals are using the children to get into America.
In response, the Labour leader was categorical:
It's tragic and shocking to see innocent children caged like animals at US migrant camps and to hear their cries of anguish after being forcibly separated from their parents.
It's immoral and goes against fundamental human rights we must always respect, no matter the situation.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 19, 2018
Meanwhile, the prime minister has merely distanced herself from Trump’s immigration policy. Downing Street contrasted the US immigration approach with the UK’s, which Number 10 said is more “humane”.
As Fréa Lockley previously wrote for The Canary: “US authorities now have over 11,000 children ‘in their care’ after separating them from parents at border crossings”. Still, May’s government plans to greet Trump with lavish ceremonies upon his arrival to the UK on 13 July.
“Showing him the red carpet”
People, from MPs to the grassroots, are demanding May cancels the state visit and stops appeasing Trump:
Trump thinks it’s ok to tear brown children from their parents & lock them in cages, @theresa_may. In showing him the red carpet next month, you are enabling a fascist, pure & simple. This is not the 1930s. Take a stand. Please. pic.twitter.com/thg8lJ7P0e
— Dr Rachel Clarke (@doctor_oxford) June 19, 2018
https://twitter.com/KarenLeeMP/status/1008969955600162816
Now’s the time for Theresa May to cancel Trump’s visit. And any answer she or her chinless Tory acolytes give about being a critical friend needs stamping on. https://t.co/6pT43A6UeI
— Neil Gibbons (@neilgibbons) June 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/cats2home/status/1008970551333937152
Seriously, UK. We need to cancel Trump’s visit over this lock-up-children policy.
— Dan Kaszeta, FRHistS, Legal Juggernaut 🇱🇹 🇺🇦 (@DanKaszeta) June 19, 2018
About a month until Trump's visit. I wonder whether his administration will still be locking children up in concentration camps when he meets the Queen.
— James O'Brien (@mrjamesob) June 18, 2018
Donald Trump is separating kids from their parents and locking them up in cages in prison camps. If you're not going to protest against that – then what?
Take to the streets on July 13th when Trump gets the red carpet treatment. https://t.co/zK8jERfOE2 pic.twitter.com/M9dnZ2NhH6
— Owen Jones (@owenjonesjourno) June 18, 2018
Ahead of the 2017 general election, a record-breaking [paywall] petition to ban Trump from a UK state visit reached almost 2 million signatures.
Appeasing Trump
The prime minister also faced allegations of appeasing Trump when he imposed a ‘Muslim ban’ on people entering the US in early 2017. May’s response was to say:
Immigration policy in the United States is a matter for the government of the United States
At the time, the leadership in France, Germany and Canada and the UK parliament all condemned Trump’s policy. May’s government was left isolated.
Fleeing the consequences of US policy
Corbyn says the Trump administration is treating children like “animals”. On top of border authorities caging them, many children are “fleeing gang violence and poverty” that has its roots in policies from US governments. As HuffPost reported:
Since the 1950s, the U.S. has sown violence and instability in Central America. Decades of Cold War gamesmanship, together with the relentless global war on drugs, have left a legacy of chaos and brutality in these countries.
These people are seeking asylum from an environment that US government policies helped create. Nonetheless, the Trump administration is separating children from parents and putting them in cages.
May’s feeble response amounts to appeasement of such behaviour. By contrast, Corbyn was unequivocal in his condemnation.
If Trump’s visit to the UK goes ahead, we’ve got to show him hell.
Get Involved!
– 137,000 people have suggested they could be hitting the streets when Trump arrives. Get on board.
Featured image via Novara Media/ Wikicommons and Secretary of Defence/ Flickr
