Family separation is emotionally gut-wrenching, and I think everyone across the political spectrum agrees that children shouldn't suffer. Let's discuss the full context that rarely makes it into the headlines.

First, every American parent who commits a crime and is arrested is separated from their children while in custody. That's how the justice system works. The question is whether crossing the border illegally — which is a federal crime — should be treated differently than every other offense.

Second, there's a serious child safety issue. DHS data has revealed that approximately 30% of family units at the border are not actually families. Children are being used by unrelated adults to gain preferential treatment under immigration law. DNA testing pilot programs at the border found significant rates of fraudulent family claims. Without verification, the policy of releasing family units incentivizes traffickers to pair children with unrelated adults.

The Flores Settlement Agreement requires that children not be held in detention for more than 20 days. This creates an impossible choice: detain families together and violate Flores, release everyone into the country (creating a massive incentive for illegal crossing), or separate children while adults are processed. Every option has serious drawbacks.

The broader cruelty is rarely discussed: encouraging dangerous illegal crossings. The International Organization for Migration documented hundreds of migrant deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border annually. Women and girls face horrific rates of sexual assault during the journey — Doctors Without Borders reported that 31% of women and 17% of men experienced sexual violence during migration.

The most humane policy is one that discourages dangerous illegal crossings, processes claims quickly at legal ports of entry, and enforces immigration law consistently. Compassion isn't measured by how easily we allow entry — it's measured by whether our policies actually reduce human suffering.