I can't stop crying at the picture of the 2 year old El Salvadoran girl and her Father. [Edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

[woodtv]

I won't link to it as people can find it if they wish to. I wish I hadn't.

The 23 month old and her Father were trying to cross the Rio Grande in to the United States and drowned. Her arms were around his neck.

I saw it a few hours ago and just can't get it out of my head and help bursting in to tears.

I'm so ashamed of this country's government. The situation down there (and elsewhere of course) is heartbreaking. I'd like to go and volunteer as friends have but can't leave ds.

My friends who've been down there say it's actually played down on the news. Trump and his government should be tried for war crimes.

It's devastating, isn't it? I also found it very upsetting.

Just FYI they were from el Salvador not Mexico

My daughter is the same age and I couldn't bear to read the article after seeing the photo. I hope she died feeling nothing but love from her dad- her father had put his T-shirt round both of them so they wouldn't be separated which means he knew the risk.

I can't imagine the bravery and sheer desperation he must have felt.

Yanbu, it is truly desperate.

I hope she died feeling nothing but love from her dad

This made me cry anew

I found it upsetting too

I was more furious by the comments saying things like “shouldn’t have come over here then”

@ButterMyBiscuit the article I read said Mexico. Sorry. I'll ask mn to change it.

It’s horrific, just beyond heart breaking

I absolutely can't read any comments. How anyone could think that is just fucking atrocious.

I can't stop crying and I need to pick ds up from camp soon. How lucky I am to be picking up my little boy and bringing him home safe.

It is very upsetting. But international law says that refugees should seek asylum in the first safe country they come to. In the case of El Salvador that is not the USA.

I agree there are lots of things regarding immigration and the management of its southern border that the USA/Trump should be ashamed of. But not helping every economic migrant from Central and South America into the country is not one of them.

How truly heartbreaking.

Shows you Trump has no soul.

How this can be seen as reasonable in a supposed to be developed and civilised country, I don't know.

He had put her on the other side of the river then went back to get the mother, but the girl jumped back in and the were swept under the river. So sad.

This is awful
www.propublica.org/article/secret-border-patrol-facebook-group-agents-joke-about-migrant-deaths-post-sexist-memes

@NecklessMumster special place in hell for those agents.

It’s absolutely heartbreaking, an image I wish I hadn’t seen. The terrible thing is even something as awful and shocking as this is won’t make a blind bit of difference to those supporting Trump’s immigration policy.
We were all shocked when we saw 3 year old Alan Kurdi‘s body when he drowned in 2015 in equally desperate circumstances but still the attitude to migrants remains the same.
It’s monstrous, we’ve stopped seeing these people as human and empathising with their suffering.

@gamerwidow it won't make a jot of difference.

I don't understand how so many people can see entire countries of people as lesser humans.

And how anyone can see pictures like this and not feel a part of themselves die a little that we live in a world where children dying in pain and fear isn't unacceptable.

I normally emotionally stunted and cried like a bloody baby when I saw that photo. Rationally, I know that unjust heartbreaking shit happens all day long and they just don't have the same optics. But, fuck me, it is haunting.

Absolutely awful and heartbreaking.
I largely blame people traffickers who tell desperate people how easy it is to get into The USA (and The UK) and how great it will be when they do get there only to abuse and/or abandon them.
I do have to say however that we don’t know the full story here. For example the poor boy who drowned in 2015’s family were settled in a Turkey, the father had a job and they had a house. The mother begged the father for them to stay as it was too risky but they wanted to reach The UK for economic reasons ( again probably encouraged by people being paid to take them, it’s big business)
Whatever happened to these children is absolutely tragic and I’m sure the parents think it’s the best or even only option at the time but I think that tightening borders and helping people stay in their own countries with aid etc is a better and safer option than allowing more movement across borders - if that is even possible

Poor, poor girl. Grossly irresponsible parents.You just don't gamble your babies' lives like that.

Absolutely YANBU, and the reports from the camps at the border are horrendous - cells overcrowded to 5x capacity, women called whores by guards and made to drink water out of toilets, children taken from parents www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/01/aoc-border-facility-horrifying-cbp-officers-tweets
One company running them is apparently getting $750 per person per day from the government. It’s not detention with limited resources, it’s organised abuse and cruelty.

There are lots of groups campaigning and offering practical support, I’m sure you can support these OP, especially if you’re in the US.

@KizzyWayfarer I'm on a green card so feel (especially right now ) that I have to tread very carefully. I don't even post political things on social media just in case.

I'm going to apply for citizenship (although I wish I'd done it under Obama and had a welcome letter from him rather than the current leader).

@KizzyWayfarer I've got friends who've been down there and they say it's far worse than what we hear about. It's mostly being covered up, now it's beginning to leak out more though.

@Hoppinggreen family members have said they were crossing the border not due to the (very real, significant) problems in el salvador, but for financial reasons. They had been in Mexico for 2 months prior to attempting the crossing; as far as I know they made no attempts to regulate their stay in mexico, or to access the USA legitimately.

It is very sad regardless of the situation- parents only want the best for their children, but sometimes it cant work that way

What @RubberTreePlant said

The mother begged the father for them to stay as it was too risky but they wanted to reach The UK for economic reasons

This kind of shit is very easy to say when you’re living in a safe and wealthy country. Maybe they couldn’t afford to support themselves there, maybe they have family here, who knows? People in stable situations don’t risk their kids lives in this way for a few quid.