But while Jude’s prognosis is good — he kept his three most important fingers, which will work fine once they close the wound — his family situation is not. His sister and legal guardian, Chantal (Sasha Compère), informs Santos, Robby and Dylan that their parents were seized and deported to Haiti during a routine immigration appointment. You can almost see the air get sucked out of the room when she says it.
This cruel implementation of the current administration’s mass deportation policy has forced Chantal to transfer out of her college and move back home to care for Jude. But they have almost no money, so she works long hours on top of her continuing education, leaving Jude unsupervised for long stretches of time.
Now it isn’t certain that either of them will graduate, or that social services will leave Jude in Chantal’s custody. Dylan, the social worker, is optimistic, but he also thinks they may be better off with their parents in Haiti, a place they’ve never been.
The Pitt’s staff attack any problem that comes their way as if they had a fighting chance, but they stand little chance against the punitive powers of a government that is actively hostile toward immigration. Their sense of frustration and sadness is palpable.
“We can’t separate her from her brother,” Santos says. “It’s not right.”
“A lot of what happens to people around here isn’t right,” Robby replies. Happy Fourth of July, folks.
I reviewed tonight’s episode of The Pitt for the New York Times. (Gift link!)
Tags: new york times, the pitt, TV, TV reviews