A local school board member is speaking up about the thousands of children who are being separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"It's particularly sad because on Father's Day when kids are supposed to be with their parents -- when I have the good fortune to be with my kids – there are kids being separated from their parents," said Michael Kitzes, a board member with the Vacaville Unified School District. "They don't know where their parents are, and they don't know when they're going to be back. It's just an unspeakable shame."
According to the Department of Homeland Security, at least 2,000 kids have been taken away from their families as a result of the Trump administration’s policy to crackdown on illegal immigration.
“In general, I try to only speak about school business at school board meetings, but this was just too much. I think we're responsible as a school board for taking care of kids and for kids’ safety, and what's going on at the border is causing irreparable harm for kids that's going to last for a lifetime,” said Kitzes.
Kitzes is also a Senior Mental Health Services Manager with Solano County. He told ABC10 he felt it was necessary to bring the matter up in this week’s board meeting.
“It is barbaric, inhumane, and a form of torture to separate children from their families in order to create a deterrent,” Kitzes adds.
This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions referenced a bible verse to defend the administration’s immigration policies.
“I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes,” Sessions said.
In response to Sessions’ statement, Kitzes said, “We're so much better than this as Americans."
Kitzes explained how the situation at the border affects kids’ mental health.
"It creates a tremendous amount of toxic stress in their brains and in their body. It’s tremendously difficult for them to trust another adult, and this is something that continues through their whole life," Kitzes said.