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Opinion
Francis Wilkinson

Abuse of Children Is Illegal, Even If the President Is Responsible

Who will be held accountable for the Trump administration’s mistreatment of young migrants? 

Old enough to be on her own.

Old enough to be on her own.

Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images North America

A crime was planned, then committed. Now, we’re waiting to learn if the U.S. criminal justice system has the capacity to punish the powerful perpetrators.

That might sound like news about the Trump gang colluding with Russian agents or paying off a porn star in 2016. But due to the extraordinary nature of the Trump administration, those are not the only chains of events that could fit the description. It also describes the administration’s policy of separating children from their undocumented parents at the U.S. border with Mexico.