By sending these children away, "you are handing them a death sentence," says José Arnulfo Ochoa Ochoa, an expert in Honduras with World Vision International, a Christian humanitarian aid group. This abrogates international conventions we have signed and undermines our credibility as a humane country. It would be a disgrace if this wealthy nation turned its back on the 52,000 children who have arrived since October, many of them legitimate refugees.

Which phrase from the excerpt contains words with strong connotations that help describe the seriousness of the situation?

The phrase that contains words with strong connotations that help describe the seriousness of the situation is:

"you are handing them a death sentence"

Explanation:

We all know how bad a death sentence is. It means that that person has no other option but die. However, it is usually applied in a different context, when we talk of prisoners who have committed atrocious crimes. In this case, the person talking is applying this strong phrase to the fate of children. Sending them away is the same as handing them a death sentence, meaning their only option going back is to die. Refugees do not flee their country for nothing. They are trying to escape death that usually comes in the form of war. Sending them back means not caring about their lives, not caring about the bombs and tanks destroying their houses, their families. It is, indeed, a death sentence. The connotation of this phrase is strong, but necessary to help us understand the seriousness of the situation.