Bill Kelly: America’s moment of shame

As we watch Donald Trump try to justify ripping children from the arms of their asylum-seeking parents, we are truly watching America’s moment of international shame.

I cherish our close proximity to the U.S. I have family and friends who live there. We enjoy trips to Broadway in New York and pilgrimages to Fenway Park in Boston and Chicago’s magnificent waterfront. That’s why it pains me to see what’s happening.

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Taking children from their parents and locking them in cages because their parents are seeking refuge is something we might see from a Third World dictator, but not from the president of the United States.

For the record, illegal entry into the United States is a misdemeanour, which usually results in a US$50 fine, hardly justification for the totalitarian tactics Trump has ordered.

READ MORE: Hillary Clinton calls Trump’s immigration policy a ‘humanitarian crisis’

But, that is the stark reality; Trump is essentially holding thousands of children hostage, demanding that Congress pay for his wall of hate along the Mexican border.

The inscription on the Statue of Liberty, which greeted hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in America, states: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Contrast that with Trump’s mantra of, which is basically, “lock them up.”

READ MORE: Why children are being separated from their parents at U.S. border in Trump's immigration crackdown

Surveys show that two thirds of Americans disagree with Trump’s egregious policy.

That’s good, but now those good-hearted Americans need to step up and demand an end to this dehumanizing and shameful action.

Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML.