Ohio Northern University law professor Deidré Keller wrote an op-ed titled “Treatment of migrant children goes beyond rule of law,” which ran July 26 in the Columbus Dispatch.

Joined by Professor Karen Hall, she expresses concern that these children are being traumatized, which comes with a lifetime of consequences, and calls for compassionate policy change.

CLICK HERE to read the column.

Keller writes:

The punishing conditions these children are experiencing are likely to elongate into life sentences. Nonetheless, given that the foster care system is overwhelmed all across the country, we are not suggesting that migrant children be diverted to the foster care system. Rather, the time has long come for compassionate policy that reunites these children with their families promptly.

Professor Hall notes that “the American rule of law rests on a higher foundation than merely following laws as passed. We endeavor to uphold the values of the Founding Fathers.

Thomas Jefferson wrote of ‘unalienable Rights’ — ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ The conditions the immigrant children are living in are not happy; they are not even safe. Moreover, they directly contradict the American value of recognizing every human being’s inherent dignity.

“America has been a leader in promoting the rule of law abroad. This unconscionable treatment of children is an affront to that legacy.”