Block funding that will hurt children

More than a year has passed since the Migrant Protection Protocols, more commonly referred to as the Remain in Mexico Policy, was enacted. Under this policy, the U.S. has returned 60,000 Central American asylum seekers and migrants to Mexico while they wait for their immigration hearings. More than 16,000 of these returnees are children and nearly 500 of them are infants. Many of these children and infants spend months living in tents and tarps, unable to access basics like water, electricity, healthcare and an education.

As a nurse and humanitarian, I am deeply disturbed by these attacks on asylum, particularly with how they are affecting children. I have worked in refugee camps around the world and have witnessed firsthand how these conditions have lifelong negative impacts on the development of a child.

I have also worked in Central America, providing medical care to women and children who are affected by the violence in their communities. Regardless of our stance on immigration, we should all be able to agree that no child deserves to live under a tarp because of the actions of their parents.

We are all more similar than different. We all deserve to have our basic human needs met, and we should stand united when legislation stands in the way of these rights. Children and families have the right to seek asylum under U.S. and international law. I urge Rep. Bill Foster, and the other 11 Illinois representatives who have not yet co-sponsored the Asylum Seeker Protection Act (H.R. 2662) to support passage of the bill and prohibit funds from being used to implement the Migrant Protection Protocols.

Kelli Wagner

Naperville