Is the U.S.A. Committing Genocide?

The United States has been separating children from migrant families, and then giving those children up to adoption to families within the U.S. that have no relation to the migrant families. Under Article II of the United Nation’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, genocide can be defined as not only killing members of a targeted group but also the forced transfer of the targeted group’s children to another group.

This was originally reported by the Associated Press on Oct. 9. The article, titled “Deported parents may lose kids to adoption,” details how many state courts have allowed the adoption of the migrant children, often without notifying the child’s parents or their attorney. As detailed in the article, it was stated by U.S. officials that over 200 children that have been separated from their families are not considered eligible for reunification to their families or release.

This brings to mind of the Argentina human rights violations from 1976 to 1983, where many children were separated from their abducted parents and then adopted by families sympathetic to the government. While the current cases in the U.S. are not as grim as those in Argentina, it’s still important to raise public awareness about it.

While the original parents and families of those children are fighting to get them back, the process can be long and arduous. Oftentimes, cases can take over a year before the family can have their child back. However, the news of genocide was quickly overshadowed by the release of the Trump family’s tax forms.