By now, everyone is aware of the anti-immigration policy of the Trump administration commonly referred to as “zero tolerance.” To summarize, this policy (announced on May 7, 2018, by the Attorney General Jeff Sessions) provided that all adults entering the U.S. illegally would be subject to criminal prosecution. When accompanied by a minor child, the policy of this president was that the child would be separated from the parent. Since then, thousands of migrant children were separated from their parents.

This policy is brutal. It is barbaric. And it is disgusting. But in today’s political climate, it is not enough to affix such labels or to revert to name-calling. To counter the disturbingly ignorant mass appeal of policies like this requires public education. Otherwise, the outrage over such sickening policies will be limited to those (usually in the legal community) who are aware of the essential constitutional values at stake and others who happen to be on the other side of the political divide. Setting aside political differences, to clarify exactly why this president’s policy is offensive, it is important to focus on the fundamental constitutional values at the heart of this conflict, namely, the constitutional right known as “family integrity.”