More than 130 kids still separated from parents, 74 days past deadline

Trump’s baby jails aren’t headline news anymore, but dozens of children kidnapped by the Trump administration are still cruelly separated from their families.

According to the most recent court filing, 136 children, including three children under the age of five, still haven’t been reunited with their parents.

The Trump administration effectively kidnapped more than 2,650 immigrant children as a result of Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy.

Trump officials knew that federally prosecuting every single potentially unlawful border crossing would mean separating parents even from very young children — but they did it anyway, with no system in place to reunite families at a later date.

In order to pay the costs associated with unnecessarily detaining thousands of children, the Trump administration cut back on funding vital programs such as cancer research and disaster relief.

Initially, Trump officials simply lied to the public by claiming there was no family separation policy at all.

But then the nation was gripped by horrifying stories of children being held in cages wailing for their mothers and fathers, and parents frantically trying to get any information on the whereabouts of their children.

Through rallies and protests, thousands of Americans nationwide declared that “families belong together” and demanded an end to Trump’s unconscionable practice.

Following this massive backlash, the Trump administration grudgingly agreed to stop tearing families apart, and instead throw parents and children in jail together.

But ever since a federal judge ordered that children be reunited with their families, the Trump administration has whined and dragged its feet. The courts initially imposed a July 26 deadline, which the Trump administration failed to meet.

And 74 days later, 136 children remain in the custody of the government that kidnapped them, still awaiting a chance to see their family.

Trump’s cruel plan was intended to deter immigrants from coming to the United States, even if they were seeking asylum.

The administration knew the plan was likely to inflict lifelong psychological harm on children, and went ahead with it anyway.

In one case, an 18-month-old toddler died shortly after leaving a detention center.

Even though most Americans were outraged about family separations, some extremist Republicans in Congress still defended the cruel policy.

Freedom Caucus member Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) went on television to stand up for Trump’s atrocious actions — and even used fake data about human trafficking to cover for Trump.

Even after families are reunited, the trauma of being separated in the first place doesn’t go away. Some parents say their children haven’t been the same since returning from detention, and fear they never will be the same.

And even now, two months after a judge ordered otherwise, 136 children and their families are still living through the nightmare of separation thanks to Trump’s actions.