U.S Airlines Ask the Government Stop Using Them to Fly Separated Migrant Children
U.S Airlines have asked the federal government to stop using their aircraft to fly immigrant children separated from their families. American Airlines and United Continental also claimed that they did not know if U.S. officials have shipped children on their flights.
About the possibility that their routes have been used to transport migrant children, American Airlines expressed their disapproval. "We would be extremely disappointed to learn that is the case,'' the airline said in a statement on Wednesday, June 20, as quoted by the Boston Globe.
The Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy has resulted in migrant children being separated from their parents and guardians, as the border authorities press criminal charges against the latter.
The situation has turned into a political and policy crisis for the White House, which is now being criticized from all sides for the practice.
U.S. airlines are no exception, judging from the statement issued by United Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz via email. In his message, he expressed their "serious concerns" about the current immigration policy, which he deemed to be in "deep conflict with our company's values."
Munoz went on to explain that they have contacted federal officials to tell them that they are not to use United airlines to transport the immigrant children that they have taken away from their families.
American Airlines, meanwhile, has issued a similar statement. "We have no desire to be associated with separating families, or worse, to profit from it,'' the company said.
In response, the Department of Homeland Security, as representative by press secretary Tyler Houlton, expressed their regret that U.S. airlines "no longer want to partner with the brave men and women of D.H.S. to protect the traveling public, combat human trafficking, and to swiftly reunite unaccompanied illegal immigrant children with their families." as quoted by the New York Times.
