News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A protest against the separation of families at the border took place Saturday evening.
Approximately one hundred protesters lined around Putnam County Courthouse Square.
Elise Windus, a protester of the Trump administration from day one, said she believes America should welcome immigrants seeking asylum.
“I just can’t believe it. My grandfather was an immigrant and I have great grandparents that were immigrants and the country welcomed my ancestors here because they needed a new place to live,” Windus said. “And these people coming here need due process and they are coming because mainly they need a new place to live.”
Families crossing US borders illegally face criminal prosecution. The children of these families are deemed unaccompanied minors and put into government custody.
Former counselor Karen Carter said her values keep her from supporting the separations.
“I am totally dismayed and horrified that families have been separated. It is so inhumane and not like our country,” Carter said. “And I think we need to stop this and find their parents and let the children be reunited.”
Putnam County resident Robert Forgy also said his experiences limit his agreement with the policy.
“I worked with kids both in scouting and a counseling situation. Well, actually both programs were institutional programs,” Forgy said. “And I have seen first hand what happens to kids who are pulled from their families. The system doesn’t put them back together and they suffer for a lifetime.”
Although the protesters marched for the same issue, many had different ideas on how to fix the separations.
Forgy said he wants to vote Republicans out of office.
“Vote Democrat. Period. Get the GOP out of our politics completely. They are totally unresponsive to the situation at the border,” Forgy said. “They have shown they don’t care. They have shown they are complicit. They have shown that this is what they want, they get a kick out of it. And I don’t because I have seen the damage.”
Carter said she wants the families released from prison and assigned a caseworker.
“I have heard where families can be taken out of prison and be with their children and maybe have a caseworker or something kind of monitor, help them, support them,” Carter said. “So then they can go present their case. Because many of them are fleeing from violence.”
The protest was one of the thousands across the nation.
“I think it is all over the country too. So even though it may not be huge here we are in spirit,” Carter said. “And many many people who can’t be here I think are also here in spirit.”
