If you've been paying attention to the news or current events, then you know exactly what is going on throughout the United States involving immigration policy. If you haven't been kept up to date, then here's a slight refresher.

On May 7^th, the Trump administration introduced a new "Zero Tolerance Policy" regarding immigration. What the policy enacts is that any adult who is in the United States who did not arrive through a specific port of entry needs to be criminally prosecuted. So, what if this adult has a family or children? Well, the children will not be criminally prosecuted under the circumstances that they are children, but they will be separated from their parents, who will be detained. The children are then under the jurisdiction of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

In short, the family is torn away from one another which is an absolute tragedy. But the disaster does not cease there. The children are being moved into child internment camps. These internment camps are located in 17 different states, and each state holds at 100 camps. So, no, there isn't just one that is holding a few children. There are over 1700 camps holding upwards of 100 children each. Paying attention yet?

Here is a quote from the Los Angeles Times regarding how the children are reacting to the new environment that they are being forced to live in:

"…At the shelter, children were running away, screaming, throwing furniture and attempting suicide, Davidson said. Several were being monitored this week because they were at risk of running away, self-harm and suicide, records show."

And here's another quote from The Cut on the environment inside the internment camps:

"In the McAllen facility, for instance, children are given bottled water and chips for sustenance, and foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. An advocate who spent several hours in the facility told the Associated Press that she met a 16-year-old girl who'd been taking care of a young, unaccompanied child for three days. "She had to teach other kids in the cell to change her diaper," she said. "She was so traumatized that she wasn't talking. She was just curled up in a little ball."

Yes, these are children who are being inhumanely detained in internment camps and ripped away from their families. These are children who are not just considering suicide, but actually attempting it. These are children who aren't allowed to hug one another and are given tin foil sheets to serve as blankets while they sleep atop of mats on the floors. These camps are prisons for children and its time to take action.

So, how do you help? How do you help to change this disgusting truth that we are facing as American citizens? Well, one thing you can most definitely do is reach out to government officials.

You are a U.S. citizen, and if you are outraged at the treatment of human beings in this country and the laws that are protecting this type of savagery, then you are able to use your voice. Call your state representatives. Call you senators. Call any senators or congressmen. Tell them that they need to end Trump's family separation policy. You don't just have to call, you can e-mail or send snail mail to them, as well. Get in contact with the people who are representing you. If you don't agree with what is going on, let them know. These people can aid in creating a change for these children. The more people reach out and demand a stop to this, the more it will stick.

After you call, you can donate to an organization that is dedicated to helping immigrant families or protecting human rights. Some of these include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), and the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.

These are two huge ways that you can assist the families who are being separated and detained within the United States. These people need our help. They are not simply immigrants, they are human beings. In what world have we allowed this to happen to our brothers and sisters? It doesn't matter what party you identify with when people, let alone children, are being held in detention centers and separated. Put yourself in their shoes. Can you imagine being ripped away from your mother or father as a child and being shoved into an interment camp without having any idea when or if you will see your family again? If you are not outraged at what is going on in the United States of America, on our soil, and being perpetuated by our president and government officials then you are not paying attention.

Here is the number of the US Capitol where you can contact your representatives and the representatives from other states:

(202) 244-3121

If you are a Virginia citizen, here are the names of your senators and the links to contact them:

Tim Kaine-- https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact/share-your-opinion

Mark Warner-- https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactPage

You can also reach them through any of their offices.

Here are the names of your eleven state representatives:

Thomas Garrett Jr.

Barbara Comstock

Gerry Connolly

Dave Brat

Scott Taylor

Bob Goodlatte

Don Beyer

Bobby Scott

Morgan Griffith

Donald McEachin

Rob Wittman

You can make a difference. So use your voice and speak up for those who are being wronged by the United States government.