Migrant separation documentary hits Venice, shines light on Trump policy

Migrant separation documentary hits Venice, shines light on Trump policy

By Crispian Balmer

Oscar-winning documentary maker Errol Morris premiered his latest work at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, picking apart one of former President Donald Trump's most contested policies - family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Separated" looks at how the Trump administration quietly started separating children from their parents in an effort to deter migrants from crossing illegally into the United States.

"God knows I feel strongly about many of the policies of the Trump administration, but the idea that somehow you would hurt children as a matter of policy seemed unthinkable," Morris told reporters.

"What did they imagine that they were doing, or how did they justify this behaviour? After a whole series of interviews, it becomes clear that there was a kind of absence of thought, which is perhaps the scariest part," he said.

The Trump administration launched its "zero tolerance" policy in April 2018 as a way to discourage crossings, including by families. Under the policy, parents were charged with immigration crimes and sent to jails while children were placed in shelters.

Trump, a Republican, ended the practice in June 2018 amid a backlash both at home and abroad.

The documentary, based on a book by NBC journalist Jacob Soboroff, makes clear that successive Republican and Democratic administrations have struggled to find ways of dealing with mass migration across the southwest U.S. border.

Quoting government figures, Morris's documentary said at least 4,227 children were taken from their parents during the period of the family separations, with more than 1,000 still living apart.

"Separated" is based on interviews with U.S. officials who witnessed Trump's policy up close, and uses a dramatic recreation of a young boy being taken from his mother to highlight the plight of families seeking a better life in the United States.

Although Trump rescinded the order in 2018, he has vowed to intensify his crackdown on immigration if he wins re-election in November, and has left the door open to resuming separations.

Morris won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2003 for his film "The Fog of War". "Separated" is being shown out of competition in Venice.