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American Airlines led a procession of U.S. carriers Wednesday speaking out against a controversial federal immigration policy by telling the government they don’t want their planes used to transport migrant children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"We have no desire to be associated with separating families, or worse, to profit from it," American said in a statement Wednesday morning.
By the end of the day, United, Frontier, Spirit, Alaska and Southwest airlines all said they do not want their planes used to transport migrant children separated from their parents.
their collective message — airlines bring people together, not apart.
“Our company’s shared purpose is to connect people and unite the world. This policy and its impact on thousands of children is in deep conflict with that mission and we want no part of it,” United CEO Oscar Munoz said in a statement.
It's unclear whether the airlines, who often have existing government contracts for the purchase of tickets, could outright refuse to fly those children. It might be a moot issue after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday afternoon pledging to end the separation of families, who will instead be detained together at federal facilities.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security criticized the airlines for "buckling to a false media narrative."
"Despite being provided facts on this issue, these airlines clearly do not understand our immigration laws and the long-standing devastating loopholes that have caused the crisis at our southern border," DHS Press Secretary Tyler Q. Houlton said.
Airlines, including American, regularly contract with the U.S. government to allow for the purchase of tickets for federal employees, contractors and others, including refugees.
American said the government does not disclose information about the nature of flights it takes or the passengers who are traveling.
American said it has "no knowledge" whether migrant children separated from their families have been transported on previous flights, but said it would be "extremely disappointed to learn that is the case."
On social media, several accounts from flight attendants have circulated over the past few days describing flights where groups of children accompanied by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were among the passengers.
Hunt Palmquist, a flight attendant based in Dallas, said he worked two flights — one from San Antonio and the other McAllen — in recent weeks where several migrant children were passengers. Palmquist, who did not identify what airline he works for, said he plans to refuse to work such flights in the future.
"Since working the two flights, the images of those helpless children have burned into my psyche," Hunt Palmquist wrote in a Facebook post that was adapted into an essay for the Houston Chronicle. "The little children whose faces were full of fear, confusion, sadness, and exhaustion left me somewhat traumatized as it occurred to me a few weeks later that I might as well have been a collaborator in their transport."
United, Frontier, Southwest and Alaska airlines said they did not have evidence separated migrant children were flown on their aircraft but have asked the government not to place them on their flights in the future. Spirit said it has no passenger transport contract with the federal government.
Delta issued a statement applauding the Trump administration for the executive order ending separations but did not say whether its planes had been used to transport migrant children.
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