Zhong Sheng
The poor human rights record of the U.S. caused by the immigration policy has been strongly criticized by the international community in recent years.
A series of data released recently have revealed how severe the situation is. In the fiscal year 2019, the U.S. government held nearly 70,000 unaccompanied migrant children in custody, up 42 percent year on year, according to statistics.
Meanwhile, court documents of the U.S. record a large number of new cases about inhumane treatment of migrant children that happened even after relevant immigration policies were halted.
A doctor who had visited a migrant child detention facility called the place a “torture facility”. As the doctor described, the children were held in cold rooms where the lights were on 24 hours a day. They had no access to toothpaste or soap. Some children fell ill and began to lose weight. To make things worse, some children died or were sexually abused while in custody.
“This is unprecedented in American history or international practice.” The Economist wrote.
“We are living in a historic moment that future generations of Americans will look back on with shame,” said Newsweek magazine.
Branding itself as a defender of human rights and “a city upon a hill”, Washington is really obsessed with interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and accusing their domestic policies under the guise of defending human rights and protecting those countries.
Today, in the 21st century, the primitive and brutal immigration policies of the U.S. have shocked and angered the world as they deprived innocent children the happiness of being beside their parents and caused irreparable damage to their physical and mental health.
The trauma the immigration policies inflicted on migrant children by separating them from their parents is a risk caused by the state, said a U.S. federal judge.
Why is such practice, which runs counter to common sense and civilization, enjoys support in the U.S.? This has something to do with the American politics.
Family separation was rolled out under the “zero tolerance” policy. As it worked well as a deterrent to immigration, it consolidated the immigration policies, helping the policies win political favors from anti-immigration voters.
Meanwhile, children suffering from family separation could be taken as “hostages” and the mounting human rights disasters as political leverage, to serve the political interests of U.S. politicians.
Under this political logic, immigrants have been deliberately cast as culprits for the chronic problems of American economy and society, becoming a punching bag for many frustrated voters.
In recent years, immigration has become increasingly politicized in the U.S.
When the mid-term elections or general elections approach, certain American politicians invariably express concerns over the immigration issues, and raised proposals such as family separation and sending the U.S. military to the border to assist immigration law enforcement, to solve the issues.
Their goal, however, is to divert American people’s focus from domestic issues.
The U.S. immigration policies, after all, are about politics. The truth does not count at all; what’s important is that the political narrative could excite voters. The outcome does not matter; even it is human rights disasters. The point is that it is the political opponents who pay the price.
Obviously, it is hypocrisy and callousness of American politics that bears unshakable responsibility for such human rights disasters.
The human rights disasters in the U.S. reveal that Washington is not qualified to play the role model of human rights on the international stage, and confirm the fact that the hypocrisy and callousness of American politics is an important source of many human rights problems in the current era.
For a long time, under the guise of human rights and democracy, the U.S. has been interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and regions, supporting violent activities and trying to fish in troubled waters.
The American politicians who actively advocate intervention are motivated by nothing more than being ideological vanguard, catering to the political prejudices of certain people and making political benefits for themselves.
Their concern is not really about human rights and democracy at all, and their goals are vastly different from what they say.
It is the common practice of the U.S. to undermine human rights under the guise of human rights. The world should be more aware of this and remain more vigilant.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name used by People’s Daily to express views on foreign policy.)
“美式政治”虚伪冷酷
钟声
近年来，美国移民政策制造的人权灾难，正在世界范围引发强烈批评。近期公布的系列数据，更让这一问题的严重性一览无遗。据统计，2019财年，美国政府共关押近7万名无陪伴儿童移民，同比增长42%。美国司法文件显示，即使在相关政策被叫停后，仍有大量新增案例。
“酷刑设施”——这是一位实地探访的医生对关押儿童移民设施的描述。孩子们被关在冰冷的房间里，没有牙膏、肥皂，房间的灯24小时开着，有些孩子开始患病、体重减轻，更有儿童在被关押期间死亡、遭受性侵。“这在美国历史上或国际实践中都是前所未有的。”英国《经济学家》写道。“我们生活在一个历史性时刻，回首往事时，未来的美国人将为此感到羞愧。”美国《新闻周刊》如是评论这场人权灾难。
一个自诩为“人权卫士”“山巅之城”的国家，一个动辄以“保护的责任”为名、扯着“人权”大旗对他国横加指责、干涉的国家，却在21世纪的今天以近乎原始的残酷政策对待儿童移民，剥夺这些无辜稚子生活在父母亲人身边的幸福，给他们身心健康造成无法弥补的伤害，如何让世界不为之震惊与愤怒？
“国家制造的危险”——这是美国一名联邦法官对“骨肉分离”政策给儿童带来的精神创伤做出的定性。如此“反常识”“反文明”的做法，为何却能在今日美国大行其道？这与“美式政治”的逻辑密不可分。以“零容忍”为旗号推出“骨肉分离”政策，一为“震慑”，即以可见的惨象来吓阻未来移民，进而对部分“反移民”选民群体亮出“有力执法”的政治成绩单；二是将儿童作为“人质”，以不断上升的人权灾难为国内政治博弈增加杠杆，为党派政治利益服务。
在这种政治逻辑下，移民群体被有意塑造为美国经济社会诸多深层问题的“罪魁祸首”，进而为许多失意选民群体提供了“出气筒”。近年来，美国移民问题政治化愈演愈烈。每当中期选举、大选等两党博弈重要节点临近，总有人将移民问题推向前台，推出“骨肉分离”、派美军前往边境协助移民执法等打破常规的做法，以期达到“改变公众关注频道”的目的。归根结底，美国的移民政策，算的是一笔政治账——真相并不重要，重要的是能调动选民亢奋情绪的政治叙述；结果并不重要，甚至人权灾难也能够“接受”，只要为之付出代价的是政治对手。由此，人们清晰看到，“美式政治”经典的虚伪与冷酷，对于这场人权灾难的出现负有不可推卸的责任。
发生在美国的这场人权灾难，不仅表明华盛顿没有资格在国际舞台扮演“人权模范”，更印证了这样一个事实——“美式政治”的虚伪冷酷，是当今时代许多人权问题的重要根源。长期以来，美国不断以“人权”“民主”为借口，对其他国家和地区的内部事务横加干涉，为暴力活动撑腰，企图浑水摸鱼，便是绝佳例证。那些起劲鼓噪干预的美国政客，出发点不外乎扮演“意识形态先锋”的角色，迎合部分人的政治偏见，进而为自己捞取政治资本。他们关心的根本不是真正的“人权”与“民主”，其行动造成的结果更是同“人权”与“民主”背道而驰。
以“人权”之名行损害人权之实，这是美国的惯常操作。世界对此当有更清醒的认识、保持更高的警惕。
