"My only company and partner in life is my child. My life has no meaning without him."

Last week, ICE tried to force dozens of mothers into signing forms agreeing to be separated from their children.

These moms were given a choice that's no choice at all: stay in detention indefinitely with your babies while Covid-19 runs rampant, or agree to be separated from your children so they can get out while you stay in custody.

ICE has the authority to release these parents and children together, so they can live with their families in the U.S. who are desperate to take them in. And yet, ICE chose child cruelty over humanity.

ICE told these parents they couldn't consult with their lawyers, refused to answer questions, denied moms access to translators, and used lies and intimidation to try and get their way. This sort of bullying is just one example of the child cruelty that DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf -- who was integral to the family separation policy in 2018 -- has unleashed during Covid-19.

We can't allow ICE to create another family separation crisis, especially during this pandemic. Watch and share the video below, then sign the petition demanding ICE and DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf release and reunite families NOW.

Family separation has ALWAYS been cruel and absurd, but this inhumanity has reached an all time low in the middle of a pandemic. While tens of thousands of people die from Covid-19 and millions struggle with unemployment, our government is prioritizing ripping toddlers away from their mothers over caring for people.

Separating and caging families during a pandemic isn't just a matter of backwards priorities. It's endangering us all. People are already dying of Covid-19 because of ICE's policies -- including ICE's own guards. These guards go home to their communities, and could potentially spread the virus to their families and neighbors.

Right now, we need our government to focus on making sure hospitals have supplies and ALL families have the support they need to survive this emergency -- including those held in immigration detention. The only acceptable solution is for ICE to release and reunite families immediately so they can socially distance safely at home.

There's no time to wait. Act now and tell ICE and DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf to stop separating families and release and reunite them instead.

Let's go,

Paola Luisi
Co-Director, Families Belong Together

Families Belong Together is a campaign of the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA). NDWA is the nation's leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States, most of whom are women. If you would like to get in touch with Families Belong Together, click here.