Both error and outrage abound in printed opinion on the government’s actions of family separation on the border. A Sept. 1 letter writer accuses the president of separating families for “attempting to seek asylum.” Several My View writers of the recent past have expressed outrage over the actions, one calling America a “cruel, heartless nation” for doing so.

Children are separated from adults at the border when the adult is being taken into custody and charged with a violation of criminal law. They also can be separated when the government officials have a reasonable concern for the safety of the child, for reasons like the child is being used in a trafficking scheme and is not with the real parent. Sometimes these reasons overlap and both are involved. Both are the regular practice of civil law enforcement and happen to American citizens every day. A person who has custody of a child when arrested for a criminal offense does not take the child with them to jail. Instead, the involved officers make reasonable efforts to deliver the child to someone else who can be responsible, either familial or governmental.

By its actions at the border, the government is trying to deter further improper entry. By definition, deterrence is uncomfortable, even harsh. Otherwise it doesn’t deter.