Sen. Jeff Merkley Inspires a Genre of Political Videos Outside Kid Detention Centers

When U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) went to Facebook on June 3 to livestream his failed visit to a former Walmart now housing immigrant boys, he successfully sparked a firestorm over the issue of children being separated from their parents at the border.

He also inspired copycats.

Several Democratic members of Congress have now posted their own videos appearing outside detention centers.

Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Beto O' Rourke (D-Texas) held a rally outside a tent shelter along the border in Texas on Father's Day.

A handheld, informal video of the protest appeared on O'Rourke's Facebook page and has been viewed more than 700,000 times.

Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-Massachusetts), who joined O'Rourke's rally, also got in on the video posted to Facebook.

That video contains almost none of the reality-TV feel of Merkley's stream. Instead, it's a more traditional political speech, but it's been successful at attracting attention (a million views on the original video).

Then, yesterday Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Sen. Bill Nelson, both Democrats who represent Florida, appeared outside another facility in their home state that is housing girls. Unlike Merkley, they were accompanied by the news media, and unlike him, they had gotten permission in advance to visit.

But like him, they talked to an official at the shelter, who barred their entrance, capturing the whole conversation on video and on Facebook.

They got 58,000 views.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order today reversing course on his decision to separate parents and kids (and instead instructing that kids and parents be held together if indefinitely and possibly in violation of the law).

Democrats are still pushing Trump to end his "zero tolerance" policy. It's not clear yet how children will be reunited with their parents.