As Arizona Congressman Matt Salmon prepares to introduce legislation in Washington this week which would grant U.S. Customs and Border Protection the authority to immediately return unaccompanied immigrant children crossing the border to their home countries in Central America, residents of Tucson are organizing to let the City Council know that they support Salmon’s bill.
City residents have called for those who believe that the children should be sent back to speak at the City Council meeting today, June 8. The meeting will be held at Tucson City Hall, located at 255 W. Alameda St., at 5:30 p.m.
The Tucson City Council is expected to discussing sending their support to the president for a proposed Executive Order for amnesty, say organizers.
Salmon’s measure “would address a provision in a 2008 human-trafficking law that requires U.S. Border Patrol agents to turn the children over to the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services and guarantees them hearings, which can take years,” according to an AP report.
Currently, the Border Patrol can transfer children from Mexico or Canada, back to the custody of their governments upon capture.
Tucson radio host, James T. Harris, started a viral campaign last month, when he mocked hash tag diplomacy. A picture of Harris holding a piece of paper with the words #sendthemback made it way around the country through social media.
James T. Harris of 104.1 KQTH, told the Arizona Daily Independent that his hash tag activism is going viral because, “People can see through it and they are still uncomfortable expressing the fact that these kids need to go home because they are not our responsibility.”
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