My family was pleased this morning to read that the 12 Wild Boars and their soccer coach were rescued from a cave in Thailand. The effort was extraordinary. It took strategy, teamwork, focus, dedication and bravery. Here in the United States we have our own children's crisis. Most of the immigrant children separated at the border from their parents by the Trump administration have not been returned. At a hearing late last week, the government attorney tasked with the case asked the judge for more time because she had to babysit her dog. Shockingly, the judge agreed. Furthermore, a court ordered deadline to return the youngest children will pass with most of the families still hundreds of miles apart. Today, July 10, 2018, is the deadline for the Trump government to reunite 102 separated children under the age of five with their parents. Yesterday in court, the Trump administration said just over 50 children would be reunited by the deadline. Today the figure stands at 38 young children out of 102 returned. We will not stand for this!
UPDATE: In a status conference held on July 10, 2018, the federal court said the Trump administration must adhere to reunification deadlines for children forcibly separated from their parents or face possible punishment. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said:
- The families were improperly separated, and he would not extend deadlines for reunification: “These are firm deadlines. They’re not aspirational goals.”
- DNA tests can only be performed when there is a genuine reason to doubt parentage or parentage cannot be established by any other means; samples must be destroyed after matches are made and cannot be added to a government database.
- The government must take a “streamlined approach” for vetting and reunifying families.
After today's status conference, Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said:
“The court could not have been clearer that business as usual is not acceptable. The Trump administration must get these children and parents reunited.”
The ACLU will be back in court this Friday.
Case details here: https://www.aclu.org/cases/ms-l-v-ice
More information here: https://www.aclu.org/families-belong-together
Why can't the Trump Administration reunite these babies and toddlers with their families?
1. They've already deported the parents of 19 of these little ones
2. They can't find the parents of another 19
3. They can't connect another 16 to their parents
We must stand together as a nation and declare that #FamiliesBelongTogether!
How You Can Help Reunite Immigrant Families Today
1. Go to http://immigrantfamiliestogether.com to help. They’re also on Facebook & @ImmFamTogether on twitter.
2. Donate to @ACLU and learn more: http://aclu.org/mirian #MyNameIsMirian https://youtu.be/x7X1ZbH37P8
From the Immigrant Families Together Website:
Immigrant Families Together is a network of Americans committed to rapid response unification of families separated by the 'zero tolerance' policy. We have mobilized to help parents currently detained through the following immediate actions:
- Raising of bond funds through coordinated crowdfunding and individual giving in order to post bond for parents separated from their children at the US/Mexico Border.
- Paying bonds and providing pro bono legal representation to fulfill all legal responsibilities while awaiting trial so that they may be with their children.
- Arranging safe transportation from state of detention to the city where children are currently in foster care.
- When needed, finding longterm housing in the destination city while they await trial.
- Connecting parents in cities with resources in order to sustain them during the process of being unified with their children.
We are creating a toolkit to allow other concerned citizens to replicate our model in order to help bring parents back to their children across the country as quickly as possible.
- Working with local organizations and government to expedite the process of achieving full custody of their children while they await trial.
“This is moral vandalism. Now is the time we need to see more action, more engagement, more love.” Senator Corey Booker, July 10, 2018 at the U.S. Capitol
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Senator @corybooker with @RAICESTEXAS @JoaquinCastrotx speaks on the way forward #FamiliesBelongTogether |
There are heroes among us. They’re volunteers like @collazoprojects and Meghan Finn at @ImmFamTogether This is a new Underground Railroad. https://t.co/lKp1XTeEQg— Rod Thorn (@rodthorn) July 9, 2018
📣 The Trump administration created this crisis, and it's on them to reunite each and every child with their parents.— ACLU (@ACLU) July 10, 2018
We won't let up the pressure until they do. #FamiliesBelongTogether pic.twitter.com/vM25wHRvYW
