Border Control Used Three American Children to Bait Their Immigrant Mother in Chicago out of Hiding

By Charles Pierce, Esquire

20 July 19

This is not even in the continent of normal.

hat in the living hell was this about? From WBEZ in Chicago:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at O'Hare Airport released three American citizen children to their undocumented mother late Thursday afternoon. The children, all girls, ages 9, 10 and 13, had been held at the airport for more than 12 hours. Immigration lawyers, a representative from the Mexican Consulate and a congresswoman from Illinois met with federal officials at different points throughout the afternoon arguing for the release of the children. In addition, several advocates gathered at the international terminal at O'Hare for hours rallying in support of the family. After reuniting with her daughters, the girls' mother told reporters that she was afraid that she would be deported if she came to airport. The girls had been held there since 3 a.m. when they arrived from Mexico with a cousin. The cousin was also detained and, ultimately, ordered to return to Mexico. "In the morning I said, let me go pick them up but then I realized that our rights are not respected," said Silvia, the girls' mother, who would only give her first name.

They used three American citizens, who happen to be children, to bait their mother out of hiding. And all it takes to pry the kids loose is to show up with a couple of lawyers, a Mexican diplomat, and a sitting member of Congress. This is not normal. This is not within a continent of normal. No American citizen should be held without charge anyway, but they certainly shouldn't be held to function as bait. Take the badges out of play, and this is as open-and-shut a case of kidnapping and extortion as the Lindbergh case was.