Friend,
As an advocate who worked with separated children in the spring of 2018, when family separations at the border reached a fever pitch, I am profoundly disappointed at how little our government has done to right the wrong of the so-called Zero Tolerance policy. When I think back on my calls with tearful parents in ICE detention or the meetings over crayons with children yearning for a hug from their parent, I am reminded of the heartbreak our government intentionally inflicted on children and families in the hopes of deterring them from seeking asylum. No child should ever be used as a pawn in a political game.
And as an advocate who has worked with these families for the last six years, I have continued to bear witness to the lasting impact separation has had. Many families were separated for years, and some remain separated to this day. One mother, reunited with her son after years of separation, was struck by his newfound facial hair—she lamented how the government took her boy from her and returned to her a man. For many, there is no escaping the heartbreak of the years lost and the bonds damaged.
There is no overstating how much our government has failed these families. And it continues to fail them to this day.
Two months ago, a federal court approved a settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of immigrant parents who were wrongfully separated from their children under the Trump Administration. While the settlement offers these families a new opportunity to apply for asylum, it does not provide them with a lawyer to help them. This has left separated families with yet another burden: finding and affording an attorney or being forced to seek asylum without one.
The Young Center didn’t stand by in 2018, and we’re not going to stand by now. Separated families deserve justice. At a bare minimum, that means legal representation and a real chance to remain safe and reunited in the United States. That’s why the Young Center is relying on the power of community and joining forces with Al Otro Lado, Justice in Motion, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the National Immigration Project, and Together and Free, to raise $3 million for legal representation to support approximately 500 separated parents and children in 2024.
