How to Help Immigrant Children Being Separated from Their Parents
As reports stream in daily painting a horrific picture of children kept in cages and separated from their parents in an attempt to deter people attempting to cross the southern US border, more and more Americans are speaking out against this inhumane act — one that is creating lifelong trauma for the children being detained and their families.
With reports saying up to 90 percent of children are being removed from their parents and being placed in foster care, Democrats and a growing number of Republicans are attempting to stop what Attorney General Jeff Sessions says is simply a “zero tolerance” policy against people fleeing to the US for asylum. Even the UN has declared that these family separations violate international law.
For those of us who are horrified by what is happening, these images can make it seem fairly hopeless to help, but there are plenty of ways that we can. Here are the easiest and most effective ways to help support the reunion of families being illegally separated at border crossings.
Donate
There are many organizations fighting not only to end the illegal separation of children from their parents at the border, but also to reunite these separated families — and they can all use financial help. This is the easiest way to get involved, and you can do it from your phone!
Donate to the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights here.
Donate to Arizona’s Florence Project here.
Donate to the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project here.
Donate to Kids In Need of Defense here.
Protest
Families Belong Together cobbled together a number of protests across the US last week, and are planning a bigger march on Washington DC on June 30th.
Until then, local protests are happening in US cities across the country. Many of these can be found on the Facebook pages of local Families Belong Together branches.
Contact your representatives
Senators hate getting phone calls. While signing petitions and emailing can both be very important, telephoning your representative and senator are also critical in getting your voice heard if you can’t go directly to your representative’s office.
You can use this directory to find contacts for your representatives.
Search here to contact your senators.
The ACLU has a script if you’re not sure what to say.
Remember, this is a midterm election year, and it doesn’t hurt to remind your congresspeople of that. Elected officials work for the citizenry, not the other way around.
(Photo via John Moore/Getty Images)