President Donald Trump’s controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which has resulted in separated families at the Mexican border, has many Americans across the nation and on Long Island rallying for change.
An estimated 2,000 children have recently been separated from their parents after illegally entering the United States. As part of the president’s plan, the parents are being detained pending immigration hearings and the children are sent to other facilities around the country.
Newsday reports that eight of the about 2,000 children recently separated from their parents are being held in Syosset at the MercyFirst facility.
MercyFirst is the only facility on Long Island that has a contract with the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement. Over the years, dozens of other unaccompanied minors who have been caught at the border have been temporarily housed there until they could be placed with relatives in the United States.
At a rally in Melville Tuesday, organizers demanded that Democratic Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand get more involved and personally inspect the facilities where the children are being kept. News 12 asked Schumer and Gillibrand's offices if they would visit the facilities, but did not receive an answer.