LIHUE — Protesters will be gathering at the airport intersection on Kauai Saturday to add their voices to the nationwide “Families Belong Together” rallies.
The main march is set for Washington, D.C., and “opposes the cruel, inhumane and unjustified separation of children from their parents along the U.S. border with Mexico and at other ports of entry into the U.S.,” according to the Families Belong Together mission statement.
On Kauai, organizers say it’s a chance to chime in about the importance of family.
“The culture of Hawaii is all about ohana and we all understand the importance of families and taking care of each other,” said one of the organizers, Margie Merryman of Kalaheo, who is also heavily involved in Women’s March.
She continued: “It’s reflected in the culture, in what we do and how we live — Hawaii is all about family.”
A Families Belong Together rally and march is scheduled on Oahu on Saturday as well.
The Trump Administration announced a “zero-tolerance” policy in April that directed federal courts to prosecute all adults illegally crossing the border, including those with kids.
Since children can’t be held in a federal jail, officers separated them from their parents and put them under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Department of Homeland Security says more than 2,500 children have been separated from their families at the border in the past two months.
The administration has reworked the plan through a June 20 executive order and a June 23 announcement of a plan to put families back together — once deportation details are completed.
Better databases and other efforts are ongoing to make the reunification of the families easier, according to the June 23 announcement.
Merryman said she got a few phone calls and social media messages asking if Kauai’s Families Belong Together rally was still on after Saturday’s presidential announcement, but she said the news doesn’t change anything.
“I don’t trust it. He’s got something up his sleeve,” she said. “I hope everyone will realize this is wrong in every sense of the imagination and there is no justification for what they are doing to people.”
Organizers nationwide are proceeding with the rally, as well and organizers of the Kauai sister rally say it’s important that Hawaii joins in the conversation.
When it comes to immigration, Merryman said she believes people should abide by the proper processes, but said she doesn’t support targeting people who enter the U.S. seeking asylum.
“The administration is trying to make that a crime and it’s not. It’s a violation of human rights and we have to stand up and speak up and not put up with it,” she said.
Merryman continued: “This is a peaceful sign waving demonstration. It’s a get-together to show support and express how we’re feeling with the issues with this current administration.”
The rally is slated from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Jessica Else, environment reporter, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@thegardenisland.com.
KPD deports illegals right away. No sanctuary you going back with ICE. No one on Kauai complains about that
Instead of complaining about trump, why don’t you protest about where are your tax dollars are going? Hawaii is in shambles because everyone votes for politicians who promise things that they neglect to do. Keep voting left and keep getting burned.
Look at these misinformed people blaming Trump when these policies were already in place with past administrations. The misinformation in the media is dangerous for those that do not like to do their research and see that a lot of these policies that people are blaming trump for from past admins he’s fixing. Now that he passed the EO on keeping the family together temporarily it’s not enough to these misinformed people and they admit it.
Just look at Margie Merryman’s response to Trump wanting to keep the family together yet still uphold THE LAW for these ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS:
“I don’t trust it. He’s got something up his sleeve,” she said. “I hope everyone will realize this is wrong in every sense of the imagination and there is no justification for what they are doing to people.”
Oh Kaua’i so much beauty but no brains.
Sorry, but nobody is being fooled and nobody will be swayed who didn’t already obsessively hate President Trump to the point of insanity.
Let’s call this stupid rally what it really is: The We Hate Trump Rally.
This time kids are being used by liberals as human shields, just as they’ve being doing for decades. It seems like yesterday that the media and hate filled liberals were screaming about republicans staving kids during Reagan and the Bushes, but took 8 years off during the Clinton years.
The feigned outrage went too far over the top, as usual.
Trump haters could care less about children anywhere, much less kids from Mexico.
Oh, and I guess liberal haters never got the memo that the Clinton era policy of separating kids was temporarily halted by President Trump.
But hey, let’s not let that get in the way of a hate rally where you can hold photos of kids up, just like they are human shields.
Liberal media and haters like the ones attending the hate rally that will exploit children, are really responsible for the nastiness in the political climate, while Trump makes peace with North America, creates jobs for minorities, and drives liberal bananas with his hilarious tweets!
The best way to keep your family together is top obey the laws of the country from which your asking for help. You break our laws then its on you, not us.
So the Garden Island gives front page voice to idiots protesting their government for protecting it’s borders? Here’s a news flash for the more unintelligent among us. You break the law, you get separated from your children, and your children are on their own with whatever family member who will take them. The illegals, however, get free room and board, total health care from head to foot, video games, and on and on PAID FOR BY YOU! And oh yes, by the way, of the 12,000 children now in custody 10,000 of them did not come with their parents!! They were trafficked by smugglers, or the parents ran away willingly leaving their children for the border patrol to take. Hundreds of girls trafficked by their parents a month are even being found with morning after birth control pills because the traffickers rape them as part of their “service”! Pills given to them by parents who know their children will be gang raped! Thank you President Trump for your order to keep the so called families together! Now deport them as soon as you can and help the Congress pass immigration laws that are appropriate, and will protect these illegal immigrant children by taking all incentives away from their parents who are prostituting them for American welfare money, and American citizens from the drugs, death, and mayhem of MS 13 that is now an epidemic destroying American citizen children and their families!!
Great article Jessica! I agree and think to prove our commitment to what you have said we should invite these so called “ illegal” immigrants to come to Kauai and give them housing, medical treatment, food, drivers licenses and clothing all provided by Hawaiian tax payers! Time to stand up for what we say!!
Aloha Kakou,
Ours is a Free Country, so go ahead and Protest Illegal Immigration if you are a LEGAL US Citizen or Legal Alien, it is your RIGHT.
But hold on a minute you may want to consider broader additional considerations overlooked and devote your time, energy, and money to needs right here at home.
And here are 5 Reasons why you may want to focus your energy on larger but similar unfair detrimental procedures happening to children born and raised on Kauai and in all of America as well. Untold numbers of children for many years, and all US Citizens.
1.) What with the Housing Shortage here on Kaua’i, you speak of keeping Families together, but where are your protests and donations and efforts to provide housing for families born and raised on Kauai, who are certainly Kaua’i and US Legal Citizens, yet these children are being abandoned by you protesters and left to be literally expelled from their Family and island of their birth being forced to move to the US Mainland to find housing.
Older parents losing their children and grandchildren, middle aged parents losing their children, young adults; losing their parents and grandparents, and children losing their Grandparents all as a result of being forced off island as the only homes built and land subdivided being affordable to Wealthy Mainlanders and citizen from Foreign Countries. Think of the loss of not knowing your Grandaprents or not being able to care for your elderly parents because you had to leave Kaua’i.
Developers offering or wanting to offer new subdivisions behind Kapa’a Middle School for $800,000.00 and the subdivision next to Hanamaulu for $500,000.00? Who on Kaua’i can afford those homes and Townhouses? And more Developers with large $$$ and Kaua’i Realtors wanting to sell, seeing Kaua’i as an easy target, and wealthy mainlanders and foreigners wanting to escape where they are from or wanting a 2nd home as a mere Play House, forcing our kids to be banned to US polluted and crime ridden Cities because of no affordable housing. I’m sorry but in this case bring for illegal aliens of foreigners is being against your neighbors, your family’s keiki classmates, maybe your own.
And County Council after County Council and Mayor and elected officials statewide raising our taxes forcing more and more born and raised out of their home land of Kaua’i and Hawaii nei. Add to that a Volcano from Pele.
And you Protesters skim over that, when the solution to all these daily Border Wars is merely all you have to Dom is legally apply for Legal Entry to the United States. While Mexican and Latin Americans and Canadians have the Luxury of driving to the border and sneaking or bullying their way across our land borders, the Filipinos and other Asians are following the rules and by virtue of no other choice apply for Legal Entry into our country and Legally become US Citizens and US Taxpayers unlike too many of the illegals, so why not these Border Jumpers just apply and follow the law they can expect to protect them once here legally.
2.) It’s easy to see on TV that many of these “separated children” are of working age and here to take your job; and from TV News sources, these children are getting 3 meals a day and 2 “snacks”, clean bedding, security, and soccer and TV and video games , AND SIT BACK AND RELAX, and be ready for a life in the USA living on Welfare and Free Education + medical, dental, and vision, while living off the backs of US Citizen Taxpayers…! …the hard working US Citizens who do not even receive those same benefits. Go on you Privileged Protesters, be sure to wave 2 signs at the airport.
3.) Oh, and how about our wealthy lawyers and Judges who allow one parent, usually the woman, to pack up and take the children away from the hard working, sober, non violent Father. The Courts allowing this and the lawyers promoting for money that the kids to be taken away so far that it takes an airplane for visitation or hours of driving that can be done at best only once a month for visitation. And the Father has to pay child support, even supporting the ex-wife’s new boy friend who is unable to find a job because the illegal alien got his working for cheaper wages.
What about those hundreds of thousands of kids over the last many years nationwide having been taken away from their biological parent that this has happened to? Some of whom were separated from the Father because the mother divorced because the she wanted to live Hawaii (on welfare) while the Father was unable to follow being obligated to care for his elderly parents back where that family is from originally. And your Protestations actually Promote that separation of kids from their biological parent?
Shame on you for wanting to bring in more illegal alien children who will be separated from one of their biological parents and all 4 of their grandparents living back in their lawful homeland foreign country. “Kaua’i Protesters break up Foreign Families”.
Before you scribble on that sign, think of what sadness you are causing and what destruction you are making on good hard working Foreign Families back in their Foreign Homelands…! Do you think God is really on your side? Foreign businesses and farms colapse because the next generation ran away to the FAKE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, the real land of city drugs and crime.
4.) And to those seeking Asylum from fear of Gang Violence in their Homelands? Will they be immune from gang violence in the US Cities? NOT…in fact it is the MEMBERS of the US cities that are making the Demand for drugs that the violence back in these illegal aliens countries that the illegals are “claiming” to need to escape from. And you want to bring the illegal aliens here to the very US Cities that is the source of the drug violence in their own countries and the US cities that will become drug destinations for the illegal aliens, and how many of these aliens will turn to drugs in our own cities and worsen the crime and violence?
5.) And how many lawful US Citizens are in jail right now or in the past for marijuana, while alcohol flowed freely, that have been or are separated from the their own US Citizen children?
How about the Lost Time of never bonding with their US LEGAL biological parent or Grandparents, Aunties, and Uncles.
And shame on the protesters, you should be embarrassed to show your faces, if we did not have to work 7 days a week at 2 jobs to support our families and pay rent, we’d be down there by the airport protesting you, while you have the ease and luxury and apparent incomes to make your hypocritical protest. SHAME ON YOU…!
Do something positive Donate and Volunteer at the Habitat for Humanity Program.
God Bless You…!
Charles and Friends
Congress made this parent/child law that was carried out by the Obama administration, NOT President Trump. Since congress is in a resist mode and they will not change the law.
President Trump believes that families should be together and not separated and has written a rule to keep families together.
The next step is to have families go back together and file their papers the legal way to be accepted in the USA as it used to be done. these people as now are expecting our tax dollars to house,feed, educate and supply medical! Look at our homeless and needy Americans, they should be taken care of first. MAGA.
Is it freeloaders on welfare, or ‘they’re here to take your jobs?” Make up your mind
Aloha Turgid, both…both…jobs and welfaer,,,it takes all types
Fools who think providing free social benefits to these thousands of illegals will in effect siphon off your own social benefits since it comes from the same funds!
Real slick these liberals, trying to stir up discontent with Trump’s attempt to deport them all, these illegals and liberals will cause the downfall of this nation being over run by freeloaders who don’t have the courage of discipline to make the necessary sacrifice to bring changes to their own countries. They expect a free welfare check coming here illegally.
Alright! I’ll be there in my MAGA hat, ready to educate these beautiful people!
Aloha from Koloa, as the President of Precinct 15-5 I am in full support of the rally against the Administrations position on this issue.