Clothing has a way of acting as an immediate identifier, either as an attention-grabbing device or in a much more literal way.
For many people crossing the US-Mexico border, the future of their families could depend on the very clothes they are wearing.
It has been reported that many parents emigrating across the border write their contact information onto their children’s clothing in hopes that, should they ever be separated, they can be reunited.
This effort came about amid the Trump administrations “zero-tolerance” policies. These policies have seen the separation of more than 2,3000 children from their families within the last few months. Last week, the President signed an executive order ending the separation after his administration found itself on the receiving end of public outrage.
Nonetheless, it should be noted that this order says nothing about reuniting families that have already been separated.
Thus, it is understandable that many parents would go to such resorts, as the United States government currently has no plan or infrastructure set in place to ensure that each child will go home to the right family.
The prospect of being reunited with their children grows dimmer to many parents as they are being deported while their children remain within the U.S., either in foster care or detention centers.
It is doubtful as to whether or not these tactics will help the reunification process. “When parents and kids are separated, they’re taken to other facilities,” says Camila Alvarez, a managing attorney at the unaccompanied minors unit of the Central American Resource Center.
“Parents are put in ICE detention or federal detention, so even if parents are putting their names on children’s clothing and a worker happens to see it, the parents are still kind of lost.”
Many have expressed a particular concern for younger children, who obviously cannot advocate for themselves. After all, officials are unable to ask them about any helpful details that can be used in locating their families. Alvarez says that preschool-aged children, in particular, are often fearful and anxious without their parents.
There are a few cases that have ended well. For example, a 9-year-old boy from Guatemala was separated from his father, who was detained and placed in foster care. Before leaving Guatemala, his mother had sown a piece of paper containing her contact information as well as that of a few family friends already living in the US. The boy had shown the information to his caseworker, who then proceeded to call his mother back home. He has since been sent to return to his family.
Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons