Outraged

This news came over my feed reader just now and I am infuriated.

Folks, it is irrelevant where you stand on the immigration issue; no new mother, regardless of her race, creed, country of origin, citizen status, or any other factor should EVER be FORCEFULLY separated from her baby during the first few days after birth. We do not live in a Nazi state or under a communist dictatorship.

Something is terribly wrong here.

Read this from Tim Chávez:

Of all the inhumanity and devastation of families by Metro Nashville’s 287g deportation program, the very worst has been leveled this week against a pregnant woman pulled over, handcuffed and forced to have her baby under sheriff’s custody.

[...]

“She was pulled over by the Berry Hill Police Department as she left a prenatal clinic. She had her three other children with her. She showed a current car registration but had no license. She also showed a matricular card.

“The police asked her to call someone who could come and drive them and the car home. She called her husband’s brother, he came, spoke to police, and then was ready to drive the car home when the cop decided that the pregnant mom was going to jail. He handcuffed her and drove her to jail. Another cop who was nearby … came to speak with the uncle after the mom was driven away.

“The cop said he would have never arrested her, and that it was wrong to arrest her. But that he couldn’t do anything about it.”

Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron sent out an electronic press release today stating that Metro Police were not involved in this outrage. I believe him. Aaron has always been honest with me. And Chief Serpas has viewed Sheriff Daron Hall’s 287g program as a burden to his fine forces trying to fight real crime committed by real criminals.

“The arrest report and the arrest warrant were both completed by Berry Hill Police Officer Coleman,” Aaron said. “As some of you are aware, the Berry Hill Police Department is a completely separate agency with its own Chief and staff.”

After arrest and incarceration, Ms. DeLaPaz had her baby at Metro General Hospital.

The advocate says: “Its staff called the father to ask him to pick up the baby. They did this, but couldn’t see the mom because she was sent back to jail. The mom has some type of hearing tomorrow (the family doesn’t know if it is for migration or for whatever charges they booked her on.). The mom hasn’t been able to call home. And now the two-day-old baby is without its mother, and who knows what the medical condition of the mother is.”

At 3 a.m. under the cover of darkness and stain of embarrassment, legal authorities released Ms. DeLaPaz to return and tardily nurse her child.

But the outrage remains.

Every mother knows that every moment your newborn can receive the immunizing milk from her breast, then the child’s lifetime will be more protected. Beyond the physical, what is the mental damage and anguish to the mother and child? I don’t know, but I sure hope a jury of Nashvillians determines the amount.

The outrageous treatment of Ms. DeLaPaz is only the latest of the inhumanties devastating Nashville immigrant families. Many advocates have been trying to get Nashville’s attention to the wrong that’s transpiring in this city of more than 1,000 churches.

If these churches and their believers are still now going to stay silent about 287g with their knowledge of what has happened to Ms. DeLaPaz and her newborn child, then each of these places of worship should be turned into a bowling alley.

There is never a more vulnerable time in a woman’s or a baby’s life than the moments around birth. For law enforcement to take advantage of a helpless woman for no other reason than to flex their muscle to show they have power is completely outrageous and that officer should be disciplined.

But it won’t happen. We’ve gotta make sure we show them who’s boss, right?

Your lack of compassion for a woman who is at full term has shown what a man you are not, you pathetic excuse for a police officer.

I recommend you go over to Tim’s site and read a little bit more (in the rest of his post) about the 287g program and the impact it has had on our community, and then contact the folks below to express your outrage at this incredibly cruel act.

Call Sheriff Hall at (615) 862-8170. Call Congressman Cooper at (615) 736-5295 or (202) 225-4311.

Or send an e-mail at sheriff@dcso.nashville.org or go to http://www.nashville-sheriff.net/contact_us.htm. For Cooper, go to http://www.cooper.house.gov and click “Contact.”