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Dear Friend,
Among a slew of recent tragedies that have harmed immigrant communities, these past weeks have seen the heartbreaking news of two immigrant children who died after making the increasingly dangerous journey to the United States. Earlier this month, an unaccompanied teenager from Honduras passed away while in government custody in Florida. Just last week, an 8 year-old girl with pre-existing health conditions died while detained in Border Patrol custody in Texas for nine days. The little girl’s mother pleaded with agents to get her daughter medical attention as her health worsened, but recent details show that the mother’s repeated attempts to get her daughter care went ignored by Border Patrol.
It is devastating and painful to see how children, especially those with disabilities and pre-existing health conditions, and their families continue to be met with deterrence, enforcement, and detention when they attempt to seek safety in the U.S. Children deserve to be met with compassion and care not detention and jails.
Our hearts go out to the families as we mourn these unimaginable, preventable tragedies. All children deserve to live full, safe, and healthy lives. That includes children and families forced to leave their home country in search of safety, and it includes every moment they experience after encountering immigration officials in the U.S.
For nearly 20 years, the Young Center has advocated at every turn to protect immigrant children in government custody, from their reunification with loved ones to their release from detention. Our team has fought back against unjust policies that have forced families and children to wait in deadly conditions along the border, resulted in family separations, and deported families and children back to the very same conditions they fled.
Next month, the Young Center will be launching a fundraising campaign in tribute to Immigrant Heritage Month, honoring the hopes and dreams of the thousands of children seeking safety and stability in the U.S. It is important that we also honor those children whose hopes and dreams will not be realized and whose lives ended far too soon. We ask for your continued support in our efforts to advance critical protections for immigrant children and urge you to be on the lookout for upcoming opportunities to learn from our team about the impact of new anti-asylum policies on children and families.
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