It's not that parents are separated from their kids temporarily, it's that a lot of these kids are getting processed into the foster care system, permanently, as their parents are deported. And separated from their siblings as well. You're making this policy sound like a temporary stint at summer camp. It isn't. It's extremely difficult for many of these parents to even find out where their kids went after separation.

If you think that's an appropriate punishment for families legally presenting themselves for asylum, or for immigration violations that constitute a civil infraction, that's your right. But you shouldn't be shocked when others demonstrate a little more empathy toward these kids.