Amnesty International has slammed the Trump administration for its immigration policy that splits families. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had announced the "zero-tolerance policy for criminal illegal entry" on 6 April 2018. Since the policy came into effect, more than 2,000 children have been separated from their parents or legal guardians at the US border.


In a statement, Amnesty says, "The sickening images of children cruelly separated from their parents and held in cages as a result of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' policy of 'zero-tolerance' will leave an indelible stain on the reputation of the USA, said Amnesty International today.


"This is a spectacularly cruel policy, where frightened children are being ripped from their parent's arms and taken to overflowing detention centres, which are effectively cages. This is nothing short of torture. The severe mental suffering that officials have intentionally inflicted on these families for coercive purposes, means that these acts meet the definitions of torture under both US and international law," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International's Americas Director.


"There is no question that President Trump administration's policy of separating mothers and fathers from their children is designed to impose severe mental suffering on these families, in order to deter others from trying to seek safety in the USA. Many of these families come from countries experiencing generalized violence and grave human rights violations, including Honduras and El Salvador. This is a flagrant violation of the human rights of these parents and children and is also a violation of US obligations under refugee law."