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US airlines take stand against migrant separation policy
Four US airlines have publicly spoken out against the separation of immigrant children from their families, saying they want to be no part of it.
American, United, Frontier, and Southwest said they would refuse to fly immigrant children separated from their parents for the federal government, although all four said there was no evidence they had already done so.
After widespread opposition, President Trump has backed down on the policy and has signed an order promising to keep families together in migrant detention centres.
But it wasn’t before the airlines had made public statements against the move.
"Based on our serious concerns about this policy and how it’s in deep conflict with our company’s values, we have contacted federal officials to inform them that they should not transport immigrant children on United aircraft who have been separated from their parents," said United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz.
"This policy and its impact on thousands of children is in deep conflict with that mission and we want no part of it."
American Airlines issued a statement saying: "We have no desire to be associated with separating families, or worse, to profit from it."
Frontier tweeted: "Frontier prides itself on being a family airline and we will not knowingly allow our flights to be used to transport migrant children away from their families."
Initially a spokesman for Homeland Security Department had criticised the airlines, accusing them of ‘buckling to a false media narrative’.
But later President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep families together, saying he doesn’t like the sight of children being separated from their families.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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