Bad Conditions At Detention Centers

First, I don't think there's any chance these reports are entirely true. It's a near-certainty that they're exaggerations at the least. I'd bet money on that. Second, I have no doubt whatsoever that, in a radically overloaded system, there are plenty of glitches. Third, how is it that some of the kids having the flu is our fault? How is it that we're supposed to fix that? Fourth, a lot of this likely has to do with the Dems denying funds and expanded bed space. In short: we didn't cause this crisis, and I have no doubt that we're handling it as best we can.
   Nevertheless: it's important to do our best to fix whatever problems there actually are. Glitches are unavoidable, but--obviously--we want to do our very best to mitigate their effects. Nobody wants to be cruel to the detainees, especially not to kids. But we're not omnipotent.
   Behold:

“In my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention I have never heard of this level of inhumanity,” one of the attorneys, Holly Cooper, told the AP. “Seeing our country at this crucible moment where we have forsaken children and failed to see them as human is hopefully a wake up for this country to move toward change.”

An activist lawyer is almost certainly painting the most dismal picture possible--via hearsay, apparently, from detainee children. So there are at least two levels of likely error. And in 22 years of being an activist lawyer she's never even heard of anything worse than this? How is it that I've even heard of much worse? And how are we failing to see them as human? Answer: we're not. And what, exactly, is the change Ms. Cooper wants to see? If it's welcoming all immigrants directly into the country no questions asked...well...let's not be coy: that's exactly what it is.
   Part of what I object to about contemporary progressivism is that it's dishonest about its ultimate goals. It wants fully open borders. It should make that clear. Instead of complaining about glitches in the system as if they were features not bugs, such progressives should come right out and say that they believe it to wrong to impede people from entering the U.S. whenever/however they want. Immigration laws are fascistic and racist, and xenophobic and must all be done away with.
   At least admit this is what you think so we can have an honest discussion about it. When the discussion is cast in these terms, it sounds as if we're merely deciding between (a) feed these kids and (b) let them go hungry. In fact, we are actually deciding between (a) have at least some immigration laws and continue to be a country and (b) just give up on that whole nation thing.
   And if we have a system to prevent people from coming in at will, then that system will be subject to overloading. And if that happens, there will be glitches. If you think we're being intentionally cruel to these kids, you should say so--but everybody knows it isn't true. If you think it's the result of incompetence, then, by all means, say so and point to the evidence. But if it's neither of those, then I think what you have to be suggesting more or less comes down to: stop enforcing borders.