The person I knew had a conscience.

— Alix Rosenthal, a graduate of UVA Law, commenting on her classmate Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s stance on the separation of migrant families at the southern border. More than 100 UVA Law alumni sent a letter to Nielsen to condemn the practice, writing, “The punishment you are imposing on families—on young children—is grossly disproportionate to the nature of the charge, and well beyond what is reasonable in a civil society. It is a cruel practice, one that may cause the children irreparable harm with lifelong consequences.”

Staci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.