A secret audio recording, obtained by ProPublica, captures the desperate screams from several Central American migrant children who were separated from their parents last week, while a border patrol agent jokes that their cries sound like an “orchestra.”
Why it matters: The children’s repeated cries for their “Mami” and “Papa” add a vivid dimension to the hotly-contested policy debate that has created a sharp divide in Washington.
Some clips, in Spanish:
One child cries “I don’t want them to stop my father, I don’t want them to deport him,” while others wail in the background.
A border agent jokes remarks through the screams: “Well, we have an orchestra here, right? … What we’re missing is a conductor.”
A consular worker murmurs: “This is her identification number… Keep this number. Don’t lose it, you hear? Good.”
One child asks: “Are you going to call my aunt so she can come pick me up? And then, so my mom can come as soon as possible?”