The US Government Is Still Breaking Up Families at the Border, But Not Without a Fight

Mar 14, 2019

Last week, Kirstjen Nielsen, the Homeland Security Secretary, testified once again in front of Congress in an attempt to justify the federal government’s ongoing actions against undocumented people at the border. Among her assertions, Nielsen said that the chain-link enclosures used to hold undocumented children could not really be described as cages, and that some parents who had been separated from their children at the border were subsequently deported without their kids. These grim updates to the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy of immigrant family separation shortly preceded a report from the New York Times that revealed the extent to which family separation remains ongoing — despite a federal judge’s order to halt the practice some nine months ago.

“The latest data reported to the federal judge monitoring one of the most controversial of President Trump’s immigration policies shows that 245 children have been removed from their families since the court ordered the government to halt routine separations under last spring’s ‘zero tolerance’ border enforcement policy,” reads the March 9 Times report.

The Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) reports that the total number of immigrant children removed from their families since the summer of 2018 may be even higher. In the six months after Trump issued an Executive Order to end the practice, the organization interviewed nearly 10,000 immigrants and asylum-seekers who entered US border custody at or near McAllen, Texas. Through that process, the TCRP identified 272 adults who said they had been forcibly separated from one or more children under the age of 18.

“The government has admitted what we’ve known for months: they never stopped separating families who came to this country seeking safety,” Efrén C. Olivares, the Racial and Economic Justice Program Director at Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a statement made available to us. “The Trump Administration has tried every strategy it can think of in our courts to continue taking children away from their parents, with no transparency about how these decisions are made, no plan to reunite them, and no accountability.”

According to the TCRP, among the 272 adults they spoke to who said they had been separated from child family members, 38 were parents or legal guardians who reported being separated from a total of 46 children were separated. 25 of these children were reportedly under the age of 10. The youngest infant impacted was 8.5 months old at the time of separation from her mother.

“To date, the government has not reported these children to anyone — neither to the courts nor to Congress — and the government has admitted it may be impossible to find all separated children,” TCRP reports.

The TCRP report recounts an interview with a father who was allegedly separated from his seven-year-old son because of a misdemeanor conviction for battery over 10 years ago. Another father was reportedly separated from his one-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son on “uncorroborated allegations of gang affiliation.” A woman, who fled her country because she was being held captive as a sexual slave, was reportedly separated from her child because officials said she was “a danger to society and unfit to be a parent” after they learned she had shot her captor non-fatally in self-defense. The list goes on and on.

According to NBC News, immigration officials can separate children “if the adult is not the parent or legal guardian of the child” and “if the safety of the child is at risk or because of ‘serious criminal activity’ by the adult.” Legal recourse can be limited for these parents.

But there is hope. Earlier this year, we reported that several law firms including the Southern Poverty Law Center have filed a lawsuit on behalf of 10,000 detained immigrant children due to allegations of unfit facilities, illegal prolonged stays, sexual abuse, and much more.

On March 8, in a promising victory for undocumented families, US District Judge Dana Sabraw ruled in favor of a separate lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the Trump administration and said that “all migrant families separated during the government’s border crackdown should be included in a class-action lawsuit,” the Texas Tribunereports.

“The hallmark of a civilized society is measured by how it treats its people and those within its borders,” Sabraw wrote in a 14-page ruling. “That Defendants may have to change course and undertake additional effort to address these issues does not render modification of the class definition unfair; it only serves to underscore the unquestionable importance of the effort and why it is necessary (and worthwhile).”

(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Oprah Announced Her Book Club's 105th Pick!

Oprah Winfrey is much more than a legend. She's one of the reigning stars of daytime TV, creating such a memorable empire that just her first name carries weight. She's full of wisdomand loves celebrating the success of others. Excuse me, that's grounds for a standing ovation.

In addition to all of the things she's accomplished, Oprah has steadily added books to her book club list since 1996. To date, there are 105 titles she's read and chosen to share with others. If you're thinking, "That's a lot of books" then I agree. But, her goal is to highlight both seasoned and new writers who dare to weave together fiction as well as nonfiction works.

After going through the list, here's everything we think you need to add to your at-home library.

Image via Oprah Daily/Eli Schmidt

Yesterday, Oprah announced her book club's 105th pick On OprahDaily.com and CBS Mornings, where she appeared with author Colm Tóibín to discuss his newly released book Long Island. She had nothing but praise for the novel and said, "I was captivated. Tóibín builds the story around a woman whose life changes seemingly overnight with the news of her husband’s infidelity. It opens the door to her own secrets, grappling with choices she made long ago, urging her to break free from the silences she built around her life. A wonderful page-turner to start your summer reading.”

Image via Cody Love for Oprah Daily

On OprahDaily.com and CBS Mornings, Oprah Winfrey excitedly shared her book club's 104th pick: The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin. In a touching video, Oprah can be seen surprising Hardin in what feels like a "full circle moment." While trying to process her book being chosen as Oprah's next book club pick, Hardin can be heard saying, "I'm just overwhelmed right now. I'm so grateful."

It's a memoir that details how Hardin's past addiction to opiates caused her to make dire decisions that led her to serve jail time. Not only that, but Hardin eventually finds a way to show herself grace as she reconnects with her children and becomes an ally for other women who are incarcerated.

For a sneak peek of what you can expect in the novel, read an exclusive excerpt on OprahDaily.com!

Long Island by Colm Tóibín

Long Island tells the tale of Eilis Lacey and the discovery of her husband's infidelity. Things start off well enough with Eilis and her husband Tony Fiorello living near his family. The family spends a lot of time together and it feels like they have a quintessential bond that can't be broken.

But when Eilis discovers that a man's wife is carrying Tony's child and they don't want anything to do with the baby, she begins to start looking at her own desires as well as the things she's kept secret for the sake of her marriage. She ends up journeying to a familiar place to rediscover herself and it ignites an inner flame that she thought she lost.

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

According to OprahDaily.com, here's the reading schedule for The Many Lives of Mama Love that'll take place on Oprah's book club's Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok channels.

Week #1: Chapters 1–8

Pages 1 to 103

Discussion begins on Saturday, March 9.

Week #2: Chapters 9–14

Pages 105 to 206

Discussion begins on Saturday, March 16.

Week #3: Chapter 15–End

Pages 207 to 304

Discussion begins on Saturday, March 23.

Be sure to grab your copy of The Many Lives of Mama Love so you can join the discussion!

Let Us Descend

Also listed on the Amazon top books list, Let Us Descend is a masterful tale that views slavery through the lens of a young girl who makes powerful discoveries as along her journey. When Annis is sold by her father — a white slave owner — she finds herself thrust into a world at a sugar plantation. Guided by otherworldly spirits, she finds herself coming to terms with who she is despite her circumstances.

"Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver Has Something Big To Celebrate

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Last year on Instagram, Oprah's book club announced that Demon Copperhead by Barvara Kingsolver was celebrating a longstanding run on the NYT Bestseller list. This is surely a testament to the way Kingsolver weaves emotion into her written work for readers to feel.

Read our synopsis of "Demon Copperhead" below!

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

It comes as no surprise that Demon Copperhead continues to give a name and face to the perils the young face while growing up. In this case, Demon is learning to come to terms with his upbringing along with the feeling he's not being seen.

Wellness

Oprah's latest book club pick is written by the talented Nathan Hill. Hill paints a picture of the how the idealistic view of marriage and life can feel out of touch with reality. After falling in love during their college days, Jack and Elizabeth are shocked to discover things feel vastly differently decades later. Forced to either turn from each other or peel back layers of hidden things they've never addressed, they make a decision that'll change the course of everything they've known.

Bittersweet by Susan Cain

Bittersweet tackles an emotion we know all too well — sadness. Susan Cain calls for readers to acknowledge that they don't always feel positive, especially when heartbreaking things occur in life.

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

With the odds seemingly stacked against them, siblings Kiara and Marcus do what they can to survive while also helping a young neighbor. However, a chance encounter with a stranger grants Kiara with a job that helps sustain them — until she's caught up in a web of secrets that begins with an investigation. Found out what fate has in store for her in Nightcrawling.

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

Robert Kolker takes a look at how six of the Galvin children were diagnosed with schizophrenia while the other four weren't. Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family details how a 'perfect' example of a nuclear family grappled with secrets and mental illness, something that sounds all too familiar.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

Olive is all at once stubborn and lovable in Olive, Again. From an odd birth experience to her reluctance to accept an inheritance, Olive's life goes through a series of ups and downs that readers will be able to resonate with.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

In a different take of Eat, Pray, Love, young Cheryl decides to go on a hike of more than a thousand miles after the death of her mother and dissolution of her marriage. Her journey is one of self-discovery and healing all at once.

Sula by Toni Morrison

Two friends, Nel and Sula, have a strong bond that takes them through many stages in their lives. But when a betrayal rocks their friendship, they find themselves on opposing sides. Learn what their outcome is in Sula.

House of Sand and Fogby Andre Dubus III

Living with roommates can prove to be tricky but one thing's for sure - stories and lives often intertwine. House of Sand and Fog weaves a tale of strangers whose lives do just that and then some.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible follows the Price family, led by devout Evangelist Nathan, as they travel to the Congo in 1959. Determined to save souls, Nathan's fierceness and stubborn nature lead to tragedy that changes the trajectory of the women in his life.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

When Astrid's mother is sentenced for committing murder, she faces herself immersed in the foster care system in Los Angeles. As the things she faces changes from each home she's placed in, Astrid comes of age and somehow finds her footing.

The Pilot's Wifeby Anita Shreve

When Kathryn's pilot husband dies in a crash, the peaceful and predictable life she'd been living is upended. What happens when she begins to doubt her husband's identity? Find out in The Pilot's Wife.

The Way of Integrity: Finding The Path to Your True Self by Martha Beck

Martha Beck paints a case of what it means to live a life that aligns with our true self in The Way of Integrity: Finding The Path to Your True Self. She also shares what happens when we fall out of that alignment but offers attainable ways to figure out who we really are.

Bewilderment by Richard Powers

When astrobiologist Theo Byrne finds himself coming to terms with his wife's death and their son's troubled behavior, he finds himself willing to do whatever it takes to get him the help he needs. Faced with a chance to try a neurofeedback treatment that features the brain patterns of his late wife, Theo decides it's worth trying in Bewilderment.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Reverend John Ames decides to write to his son about his family's history - particularly that of his father and grandfather in Gilead. It's a tale that weaves together spirituality, wisdom and more.

More titles on Oprah Winfrey's Book Club List:

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
That Bird Has My Wings by Jarvis Jay Masters
Finding Me by Viola Davis
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Lila by Marilynn Robinson
Jack by Maryilnne Robinson
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins
The Water Dancer: A Novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Becoming by Michelle Obama
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Say You're One of Them by Uwen Akpan
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
The New Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
Night by Elie Wiesel
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Light In August by William Faulkner
The Sound and Fury by William Faulkner
As I lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Cane River by Lalita Tademy
Stolen Livens by Malika Oufkir and Michėle Fitoussi
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
We Were The Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
Drowing Ruth by C/hristina Schwartz
Open House by Elizabeth Berg
While I was Gone by Sue Miller
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
Vinegar Hill by Manette Ansay
River, Cross My Heart by Breena Clarke
Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Jewel by Bret Lott
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage

See Oprah Winfrey's entire book club list here.

Which book(s) are you going to add to your kindle or bookshelf? Let us know in the comments and subscribe to our newsletter for more updates!

Brit + Co. may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

Lead image via Cody Love for Oprah Daily

This post has been updated.

Chad Michael Murray Says He Wants "A Cinderella Story 2" Too

A Cinderella Story isn't just a movie — it's honestly a cultural moment. The costume montage, the spastic colons and synchronized swimming, the rain in this drought... even Gavin Degraw singing over the One Tree Hilltrailer on the DVD stand out! Everything about this film is iconically ingrained in our collective conscious, making Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray the Y2k blueprint for many of the "It" pairings we know and love today.

We last left our Princeton royalty preparing for their freshman year of college, dreaming of happily-ever-after — or at least graduation — and that was that! But in this era of reboots, I've often wondered what happened to our OG tortured poets after the credits rolled. Luckily, I'm not the only one! Chad Michael Murray just tee'd up a sequel, and yes that's me you hear squealing right now. Here's everything we know about what's to come for everyone's fave modern fairytale!

Is there a part two to a Cinderella story?

Photo via Warner Bros Entertainment Inc

There's Another Cinderella Story, starring Selena Gomez and Drew Seeley, but that's more so a part of a series of "Cinderella stories" rather than an actual sequel. So far, we haven't gotten a follow-up on our Princeton-bound faves.

Has "A Cinderella Story 2" been announced?

There's been no formal announcement yet, but that doesn't mean all hope is lost. During his press tour for Mother of the Bride, Chad Michael Murray told ETthat he's definitely interested in bringing Austin Ames back. He said that even his daughter told him, "You need to make another one of these, Daddy," after she watched A Cinderella Story for the first time.

His response to the idea? "Here you go, Hil. From me to you, let's do it!" — referring to Hilary Duff, of course! The timing couldn't be better either, given that Hilary just gave birth to her fourth child and could hypothetically be available to film in the coming months...just saying!

Again, there's no official information about this project yet, but with a main piece of the puzzle on board, we're one step closer to my own personal happily-ever-after — a real sequel to A Cinderella Story once and for all.

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Header image via Warner Bros Entertainment Inc.

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37 Summer Fashion Finds That You'll Want To Pack For Your Next Holiday

It's everyone's favorite time of year again. Get ready to soak up some sun and make this summer memorable by treating yourself to a wardrobe you love. Whether you're going on vacation, planning fun outings around town with friends, or filling up your schedule with endless parties and weddings, these summer fashion finds will help you look and feel your best all season long. From comfy and casual to elegant and chic, there is something for everyone on this list. Warning: You might just want to buy everything, though!

Thanks for reading about our favorite finds from across the internet! FYI: We participate in affiliate programs and may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

This Crochet Swim Cover up Is a Beach Day Must-Have

Amazon

Swap out that old, worn-out tee you've been using as a cover-up (we see you!) for this boho-chic crochet beach dress instead. With several color options, from classic neutrals to bolds, this swimsuit cover-up will be your new go-to for pool days and beach vacations. Just pair it with a straw sunhat, some sandals, a tote bag, and your favorite swimsuit, of course!

The US Government Is Still Breaking Up Families at the Border, But Not Without a Fight

Long Island by Colm Tóibín

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

Week #1: Chapters 1–8

Week #2: Chapters 9–14

Week #3: Chapter 15–End

"Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver Has Something Big To Celebrate

More titles on Oprah Winfrey's Book Club List:

Is there a part two to a Cinderella story?

Has "A Cinderella Story 2" been announced?

This Crochet Swim Cover up Is a Beach Day Must-Have

This Bodysuit Is So Versatile

This Tank Top Comes In The Cutest Colors

This Tiered Maxi Skirt Will Be a Summer Staple

Give Bridgerton Vibes With This Floral Swimsuit

You Won’t Be Able To Get Enough of These Boxer Shorts

These Designer Dupes Are Perfect for Packing Lightly

This Ribbed Tank Top Is Ultra Chic

This Strapless Dress Is Made for Summer Weddings

This Necklace Will Be Your Most Charming Accessory

This Oversized Tee Can Be Styled a Million Ways

Channel Cool Dad Vibes With These Denim Shorts

You’ll Never Want To Take off These New Balance Sneakers

This Satin Midi Skirt Adds Effortless Elegance to Your Closet

This Lounge Set Is So Easy To Throw On

This Striped Knit Dress Is an Instant Classic

Everyone Needs a Pair of These Drawstring Shorts

Feel Flirty and Feminine in This Mini Dress

Try Something New With These Mesh Flats

Treat Yourself to Arm Candy With This Bracelet Set

This Tennis Dress Isn’t Just for the Court

This 3-Piece Tank Set Is a Steal

This Button Down Is a Closet Necessity

These Sunglasses Look Designer-Worthy

These Linen-Blend Pants Feel Like PJs

This Strawberry Bag Might Be The Cutest Thing Ever

This Graphic Tee Has Favorite Shirt Potential

Hop on the Barrel Jean Trend With This Affordable Pair

Walk All Day in These Colorful Sneakers

Feel Like a Princess in This Floral Maxi Dress

This Chic Matching Set Requires No Forethought

These Sandals Will Hold Up All Season And Beyond

This Hat Is a Trendy Girl’s BFF

These Teardrop Earrings Can Be Worn Every Day

Carry It All With This Bag Set

Add Some Color With This Bright Tee

These Bow Clips Are Too Cute To Pass Up

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Petco

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Gold Hinge

Is the main cast returning?

What's the sequel going to be about?

What the original plot of "Red, White & Royal Blue?"

Take a walk down memory lane with these behind-the-scenes pictures 👀