![]() A genuine practice of compassion is engaged in without bias. Like other great faith traditions, our Buddhist tradition places a great emphasis on the practices of love and compassion. We also urge you not to construct a policy that creates new trauma by creating internment camps for full families like those that many Japanese-American Buddhists were imprisoned within during World War II. While much damage has already been done by this policy, we urge you take steps immediately to reunify the children with their parents. We stand with leaders of other faith traditions in expressing that the policy of separating children from parents was morally wrong and lacking in compassion. We, the undersigned Buddhist teachers, practitioners, and organizational leaders, while recognizing the small step taken by the signing of an executive order to stop new separations of children of color from their parents at the southern border, are today expressing our ongoing, serious concerns. To President Donald Trump & Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, On Wednesday, a federal judge in California blocked the Trump administration from separating immigrant families at the border, ordering that those who were separated be reunited within 30 days. Buddhist have been involved in many other protests, statements, and direct actions related to the government’s zero-tolerance immigration policy. On June 18, the Soto Zen Buddhist Association released a letter, signed by 200 Buddhist teachers from across traditions, calling for an end to the government’s practice of separating children from their parents. While the zero-tolerance policy remains in effect, US Customs and Border Protection is no longer referring migrant parents illegally crossing the Mexico border for prosecution. Last week Trump signed an executive order ending the separation of families entering the U.S. “When one’s own government is causing that suffering, to remain silent would be shameful.” “The initial impetus for writing the letter came from seeing images on news reports and from hearing the sounds of young children taken from their parents,” said Ladner. The letter, drafted by Buddhist teacher Lorne Ladner, urges the US against creating a policy to intern immigrant families, comparing such a policy to the internment camps that imprisoned Japanese-Americans during the Second World War. “We stand with leaders of other faith traditions in expressing that the policy of separating children from parents was morally wrong and lacking in compassion,” the letter reads. Customs and Border Protection’s zero-tolerance immigration policy and asked for all separated immigrant families to be reunited. On Friday, more than 300 Buddhist teachers, leaders, and practitioners across traditions sent out a letter addressing the U.S. Approximately 2,000 children remain separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border.
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