Schindler’s List Movie Review: the Tragic Reminder of Family Separation

Reflection on Family Separations: Lessons from History and Personal Experience

When I hear that families are getting separated it reminds me of this scene in the Schindler’s List movie, where the Jews are lined up and getting separated into two lines. The kids and the adults are in different lanes. So looking back at what that tragedy did to the Jewish people, we should learn from history. A mom’s worst fear on this earth is to not be with her son or daughter.

As a kid, I got lost in Cape Town when I was in South Africa; I got lost when I was walking with my mom on the busiest Street In the whole city. Back then, as a six-year-old, to be gone from home for 8 hours scared my mom and the whole family to death. That’s what happened to all of the mothers who were separated from their kids in the US and Mexico.

The Power of Imagery and Personal Narratives in Social Movements

Because of social media, we, the people, got to see real-life people who got affected by this mistake, the government and pushed us to stand up to the government and change this mistake. And sometimes, a piece of picture can carry a lot of power.

A photo that was taken by John Moore trended the internet. As Moore explained the situation, “This one was tough for me. As soon as it was over, they were put into a van. I had to stop and take deep breaths” (Dreier). The little girl started crying hard when she saw her mom getting put in a van by the border control. And the mom and daughter were coming from Honduras and trying to get into the USA for almost a month. After all of that, we all know it’s not ok to come in illegally, but It’s not ok for the border officers to separate the parents from their kids after what they have been through.

Policy Responses to Family Separations: Concerns and Critiques

After the kids are taken away from their kids, they are taken to a facility owned by the immigration services; they are left alone with other kids as young as 18 months. “After being separated from their parents, the children – some as young as 18 months – are then treated as “unaccompanied alien children,” a category which exists primarily to serve children who voluntarily arrive at the border on their own” (The Guardians). In America, we, the people, have the right to freedom of speech, and you can speak against something you don’t believe in it.

Towards A More Humane Approach: Balancing Security and Human Rights

This is one of the topics that everyone wants to do the right thing, and the right thing is for people to come in the right way and for border officers to not separate the kids from their parents. There are times it’s ok to separate the kid from its parent or guardian. “children would only be separated at the border ‘if the child’s life is in danger” (Hegarty). If the kid’s life is in grave danger to save the kid’s life, he/she should be taken away from the parent/guardian. Everything has a starting point, and this issue began in the 2016 election. Everyone has different views on everything, just like the Republicans and Democrats.

Political Divisions and the Responsibility of Leadership

The thing that started this whole thing in 2016, President Donald Trump separated the people of America by proposing he is gone build a wall. And that divided America into 2, people who agree and people who disagree. And that caused America for half to agree with Trump’s vision of America. And after the people find out what is going on at the southern border, he tries to change the topic from him to Obama. “Trump administration blamed this problem on Obama’s administration” (Martinez). The number one priority for the American government is to defend their city; while doing this, they should not hurt other people.

Moving Forward: Upholding Human Rights and Dignity

All people are the same. “change leads to the separation of families because children cannot be held in a detention facility with their parents” (Hegarty). There should be no reason for the government to separate the family from each other. No matter what the policy says, it’s against human rights. All we can do now is make sure that we, the people, see other lives that are coming thru the border not as just a case, as attorney Jeff mentioned, but as people looking for a better life, but still, they have to come here the right way.

The Path to a More Compassionate Policy

On Wednesday, Trump ended the policy of family separation and replaced it with a policy of family detention. After the people of America found out what was happening, they did what was right, and they stood against the policy that Trump claims the Obama administration created, but we all know it’s a lie. But the policy replacement is better than the first policy because this one lets the whole family be together in detention.

Even tho the kids are not supposed to be there, it’s better than separating them from their parents. After that, the first lady of America mentions to the people and government “that governs with heart,” and it is true that all people should not see the people as a case but follow the rules and do it with their heart. As one of the most powerful and so-called freedom countries, we, the people and government, should lead the rest of the world by good example. If we start treating people and start separating kids from their parents, what is the difference between the Syrian government and the US government?

Works Cited

1. Beckett, Lois. “Melania Trump Blames’ Both Sides’ for Child Separations at Border.” The Guardian, Guardian News, and Media, 18 June 2018.
2. Domonoske, Camila, and Richard Gonzales. “What We Know: Family Separation And ‘Zero Tolerance’ At The Border.” NPR, NPR, 19 June 2018.
3. Gazzola, Lorenzo. “The Truth Behind TIME Cover of Trump Staring Down Crying Little Immigrant Girl.” Pluralist.com, 22 June 2018.
4. Hegarty, Aaron. “Timeline: Immigrant Children Separated from Families at the Border.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 25 July 2018.
5. Holpuch, Amanda, and Lauren Gambino. “Why Are Families Being Separated at the US Border?” The Guardian, Guardian News, and Media, 18 June 2018.
6. Power, Gabriel. “Why Were Children Separated from Their Parents at US-Mexico Border?” The Week UK, The Week UK, 3 Aug. 2018.

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