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Charlie Wells, Swansea Socialist Party and Socialist Students

Trump can be beaten. He was forced to order an end to cruel separations of migrant families. But we have to continue fighting – he says that they can be detained together instead!

The brutality of Trump’s “zero-tolerance” child separation policy received widespread condemnation, including from many who have not previously been involved in the anti-Trump movement who have felt that separating children from their parents is a step too far.

For many, the actions of the Trump White House represent a new low in recent US immigration policy. This opposition reached a fever pitch with many Americans reacting angrily towards Melania Trump’s choice to wear a coat bearing the words “I really don’t care. Do u?” on a recent visit to the Mexican/US border which is at the heart of the child separation controversy.

Across the US, activists have been actively seeking out members of the Trump administration and voicing their disdain for their heartless actions towards children and families.

Recently Kirstjen Nielsen, the Trump-nominated secretary for the department of homeland security, was forced to exit a Mexican restaurant in Washington in humiliation due to cries of “shame”.

Despite the unpopularity of this policy, in a series of tweets Trump swept the notion of “due process” under the carpet.

In his tirade Trump made the announcement that: “When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no judges or court cases, bring them back from where they came.”

The uncaring nature of this policy and Trump’s recent rhetoric displays the systematic hate which is central to the current administration and its politics.

However, we have to remember that the harsh policies which are currently being enacted against migrants by the Trump administration are a continuation of the anti-immigration attitude of the Obama administration.

The way in which immigrants are treated by Trump’s government did not come from nowhere – Obama (who is still referred to as the “deporter-in-chief” by some) deported more immigrants than any other president – 2 million over eight years.

Within this context it is important to not just fight against Trump and his disgusting policies but to also fight against capitalism and its racist institutions.

On 13 July Donald Trump will arrive in the UK for a whistle-stop three-day tour. Across the country members of Socialist Students and Young Socialists will be mobilising and organising within our communities, schools and colleges to fight back against the racism and anti-migrant policies which the Trump administration encapsulates.