Impeach Trump Now for Violating International Human Rights Law
It’s Time to Make the Case for a Human Rights Based Impeachment
“The impeachment process is only as good as the will of Congress.” — https://qz.com/932814/heres-what-it-would-take-to-impeach-president-trump-and-when-it-might-happen/
While internally the Democratic party debates whether or not to begin impeachment for foreign electoral interference and emoluments, there’s no debate about impeaching Trump for human rights violations and for what he’s doing to the migrant community.
The intent of this article and petition (at the bottom of the article) is to make the case that Trump’s documented human rights violations should clearly warrant drafting an articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives.
Evidence
• Muslim Ban — Splitting up Families and Violating Rights of Refugees Fleeing War Zones
About a week after his inauguration President Trump signed what instantly became known as the infamous Muslim Ban, Executive Order 13769.
For those unfortunate souls and their families that happen to come from those countries covered by the Muslim Ban, their immigration status was instantly thrown into complete chaos. Immigration Impact published the following numbers earlier this year:
- 3,742 spouses or fiancés were banned from traveling to their U.S. citizen partner. By October 2019, this number will reach 6,070.
- 5,542 adopted minor children were banned from traveling to their U.S. citizen mom or dad. By October 2019, this number will reach 9,095.
Of the Separated Families: 57% are from Yemen, 16% are from Somalia, 16% are from Iran, 9% are from Syria, and 2 % are from Libya. Anyone with a passing familiarity with these countries can certainly understand the legitimate need for these family members to want to immigrate to the United States and join their families.
• ICE Raids — Deporting Immigrants Already Following Immigration Services Orders
Then, less than a full month into his term, the Trump Administration proudly boasted about its high profile ICE raids. Many immigrants who had already worked with immigration services to turn their undocumented status into something recognized by the government were now detained and then deported without any clear reason why their previous arrangement with immigration services was no longer valid.
• Separating Migrant Families with No Plan to Reunite Parents Back with Their Children
Before the end of his first year in office, ICE & DHS confirm plans to make the administration’s official policy one of separating migrant children from their families.
Later it was revealed that there was no plan to ever reunite these immigrant families seeking a better life. Parents would have no way of ever finding their children once they were split up in detention.
And of course since official Trump administration policy is to separate families, including children, from parents who are in immigration detention. With no plan to ever reunite the families that means the children involved, who were literally just following their parents, will be forced to defend themselves in immigration court without their parents.
• Terrible Conditions in ICE Detention Centers for Children
We already know that children are being separated from their parents with no intention of ever putting them back together. Was that done as an intentional punitive measure or just a terrible negligence of children in ICE custody? Either way it’s atrocious and unconscionable. But is there a pattern of neglect in these detention centers? Recent visitors to the detention centers certainly paint that picture.
From the above article “A 2-year-old boy locked in detention wants to be held all the time. A few girls, ages 10 to 15, say they’ve been doing their best to feed and soothe the clingy toddler who was handed to them by a guard days ago. Lawyers warn that kids are taking care of kids, and there’s inadequate food, water and sanitation for the 250 infants, children and teens at the Border Patrol station.” and “Three girls told attorneys they were trying to take care of the 2-year-old boy, who had wet his pants and had no diaper and was wearing a mucus-smeared shirt when the legal team encountered him.”
• Rampant Outbreaks of Preventable and Treatable Diseases
Are the conditions mentioned in the above article something that’s happening all over the country? Surely if conditions like this were found in detention centers throughout the country there would be a simple way to tell. Such deplorable conditions would easily lead to the rampant spread of disease. And it looks like that’s exactly what’s happening across the country.
According to CNN around 52,000 adults are being held in ICE custody and the imposed quarantine applies to about 5,200 adults in custody. Admittedly I’m not that good at math, but even I can tell that’s about a 10% chance of receiving a medical quarantine if you end up in ICE detention. And it’s not the first time there have been outbreaks of diseases in these detention centers.
As Jack Herrera points out in Pacific Standard Magazine “While conspiracy theorists blame the spread of the disease on the migrants themselves, research indicates that severe overcrowding in U.S. detention facilities and shelters on the Mexican side of the border are causing outbreaks.”
• 24 Deaths in ICE Detention Centers including Multiple Children Dying from Lack of Basic Medical Treatment
But the single most important piece of evidence to me is the deaths in these detention centers.
And one quarter of those deaths are children. As of the writing of this article six children have passed away while in these detention centers.
Perhaps the saddest thing from the above article is the fact that many of the children died from completely preventable and treatable diseases such as the flu and bacterial infections. Common antibiotic treatments readily available in hospitals across the country can treat most bacterial infections. But more disturbingly the detention centers don’t seem to be following CDC health guidelines for children such as immunizing them against the flu.
Which begs the question, why isn’t ICE doing the responsible thing and immunizing these children (or the adults) from all of the preventable diseases such as the flu or the mumps? Why isn’t everyone checked by a doctor to see if they require medicine such as simple antibiotics?
• An Overwhelming Atmosphere of Cruelty
How about the general atmosphere in the detention centers?
From the above article “Sleep was almost impossible; the lights were left on, they had just a thin metallic sheet to protect against the cold and there was nothing to lie down on but the hard floor.”
“The conditions were horrible, everything was filthy and there was no air circulating,” and “All they were given to eat, they said, were half-frozen bologna sandwiches, served at 10 in the morning, five in the afternoon and two in the morning, and single sugar cookies for their daughter. What water they were given had a strong chlorine taste — a common complaint — and upset their stomachs.”
“At regular intervals, day and night, the Martinezes, and many others, said guards would come banging on the walls and doors and demand that they present themselves for roll call. If they talked too loudly, or if children were crying, the guards would threaten to turn the air temperature down further. When the Martinezes gathered with fellow detainees to sing hymns and lift their spirits a little, the guards would taunt them, or ask aggressively: “Why did you bother coming here? Why didn’t you stay in your country?” “Many of these agents were Latinos, like us, but they were people without morals,” Rafael Martinez said, his voice choking with tears. “There we were, caged up like animals, and they were laughing at us.”
Conclusion
Is That Enough to Impeach the President? YES
Clearly we believe and demonstrate that there is in fact enough documentation of human rights violations to start impeachment proceedings.
The debate on whether or not to call these detention centers Concentration Camps shows us that we already have all the evidence we need to impeach.
Written statement submitted to the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council from the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, a Non-Governmental Organization accredited to ECOSOC and UNESCO.
Here is Human Rights Watch clear summary of 2018’s treatment of migrants, which is just one section in a larger 2018 wrap-up.
Anyone Can Write up Their Own Reasons for Impeaching Trump- It Just Takes Political Will.
We’re calling for two things to start immediately:
- First, the House of Representatives should start an impeachment inquiry. In fact, one has already been submitted.
The inquiry should begin immediately and all those in Congress that care about human rights abuses of migrants should begin an inquiry with the victims of these abuses as key witnesses to their treatment.
- Second articles of impeachment should be written up clearly documenting that the Trump Administration is a chronic human rights abuser, particularly when it comes to the treatment of migrants trying to immigrate into the United States. This cruelty must be challenged with articles of impeachment that set a clear precedent that any President, past of future, or any member of a Presidential administration, should be immediately removed from office.
If you agree that it’s time for us to take a stand against the human rights abuses and violations of this President then please sign this petition calling on Congress to take swift action to show that the United States will not allow the President to violate the well-established International Human Rights of migrants.
