【2023 Archives】

ProPublicahas obtained023 Archivesreleased an absolutely heartbreaking audio recording of several children who've been separated from their parents at the border.

The nearly eight-minute long video comes after reports that almost 2,000 immigrant children have been taken from their families and placed in detention centers over a six-week period. The family separations are a result of the Trump administration's new "zero-tolerance" policy, which requires authorities to detain any immigrants who cross the border and take their children into custody. 

In the audio obtained, which was reportedly recorded inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection detention facility last week, scared young children can be heard sobbing and shrieking, begging to be reunited with their loved ones. Meanwhile, border patrol agents are heard cracking jokes about the noise, saying, "Well, we have an orchestra here. What we're missing is a conductor."

Since the recording was released on Monday afternoon, people have reacted in sheer horror, devastated by the conditions and emotional trauma these children are having to endure.

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Over the past few days many political figures, including former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton have also condemned the zero-tolerance policy.

For more information on how to help families at the border, check out our guide.

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