Foil blankets, metal fences, horrid smells and overstuffed rooms–sounds like a fun getaway summer camp, right? Wrong, this is the current condition of immigration housing for children at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

After weeks of a historic influx of immigrants trying to enter the U.S.–Mexico border, the media has finally divulged the spotlight on one of America’s top problems. Children are being taken away from their families as the rest of them are sent back home, they are huddling under foil blankets and being held in housing units in Texas crammed to the hundreds. 

By no means necessary should any human being have to live this way, whether they be black, Hispanic, white or even blue or red. The way that these children are being taken care of is animalistic and barbaric. Regardless of who or what is coming across American lines, they should not be treated in such a fashion. 

Pictures of the current living conditions look identical to those of a dog pound: cold, wretched and inhumane. Children should be worrying about whether they can play outside with their friends or if they should ride their bikes to the snowball stand, not worrying about when they will get their next meal or see their family again. 

To even make things worse, President Biden and Vice President Harris are simply mishandling the crisis. When asked if she plans to visit the border, Harris laughed and said, “Not today, but I’m sure I will.” Being someone who loves to laugh and makes jokes, I’m still wondering what was funny about the question? 

On top of the VP laughing at the “funny” situation, President Biden still does not claim that the current state of the U.S.-Mexico border is not a crisis. Biden said in a recent press conference that “nothing had changed” regarding the border. I am also trying to figure out how 15,000 children being stuffed in immigration shelters across Texas is not a crisis either. Any help anyone? 

In addition to dropping the ball and trying to fix or moderate the current conditions of the U.S.–Mexico border, the American media did an even more laughable job at bringing the spotlight to the crisis. One may wonder “why is that?” The answer is simple, Donald Trump is not our president anymore, so situations like these are not seen or heard of as often, but yes, they still exist. 

Personally, I am not against immigration as long as they come to America legally. In all honesty, most Americans are derived from some form of immigration by their ancestors. What I am not for is separating families at the border and making innocent children suffer the repercussions. 

Whichever side of the political spectrum you are on, we can all agree that what is happening at the border is unacceptable and needs to be fixed. The politicians in D.C. need to combine efforts in trying to fix the issue. These are children, not animals, so let’s stop treating them as such. 

As I sit here and watch countless news stories go by about these poor children, I can’t help to think to myself, “What if that was my family?” This problem needs to be fixed and it needs to be done so accordingly. Children are innocent and should not have to pay the price for poor handling of the situation by the government. The way the current crisis is being handled is a disgrace and proof of how much change is still needed in our government, regardless of which party is in power.