Grammy-award-winning singer Shakira criticized the U.S.’ “unimaginably cruel immigration policies,” including family separation at the border, in an open letter.
In the letter, published by Time magazine on Friday, Shakira points out how nearly 550 children have not been reunited with their parents after separation and may not be since most of the parents have already been deported back to Central America.
“In ‘the land of the free,’ there are 545 children now stuck in no-man’s-land, at risk of growing up without a mom or dad, 545 children who have to go to sleep without someone to reassure them that they aren’t in danger at any given moment, 545 children who can’t hug, laugh or have any contact with the people they love most,” Shakira wrote.
“As a mother, I think about my youngest son, who is now 5. I think about how he cries for me when he skins his knee, and the pain I feel if I am not there to comfort him. Who answers the cries of the children left without their parents?” she added.
The policies are in contradiction to values the country is supposed to hold, the singer continues.
“What rationale could justify separating children from their families, with no intention of ever reuniting them, when the U.S. has prided itself on being a beacon of hope for those who come from places where not even basic needs or safety are a guarantee?” she asks.
“Policies like family separation are born out of cruelty. This policy is not about protecting people or making communities safer. The unspeakable tragedy taking place at America’s southern border is about hate and the denial of basic human rights.”
Shakira closed the letter by saying these policies affect all Americans and reflect back on them as well.
“This is not about politics,” she wrote. “There is simply no justification for the harm caused to these innocent children, and the people responsible for this cruel policy must be held accountable.”
