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Friend, Dear xxxx,
It's hard to imagine what it's like to be a kid right now, let alone an immigrant child or youth in government custody as they wait to hear if they’ll be able to find safety and live with dignity in this country only to be met with anger, xenophobia, and racism. While you are in immigration detention, you may be hearing from others about what is happening to immigrant families and kids who look like you.
For 20 years, the Young Center has worked towards a system in which immigrant children are seen as children first. We know that we are currently facing an administration whose intent is to carry out an anti-immigrant agenda, even when it causes harm. As a contrast to that agenda, we are grounded in love and care for the children and families we serve. I can imagine the fear and anxiety it is causing you.
That's why we're launching our letter writing campaign to send messages of support, love, and hope to immigrant children in government custody as part of our 20-year commemoration. You probably ask yourself: What did I do wrong to cause all this?
The following letter will be sent by our Executive Director Gladis Molina Alt to a child. The answer is: nothing.
We hope it will inspire you and you will join us in writing to them too! Please know and believe that what is happening right now in the United States has nothing to do with anything you did. Many, like you, find themselves in government detention because they arrive at our border seeking safety under long-standing U.S. law granting everyone that right.
SUBMIT YOUR MESSAGE HERE [[link removed]] When I was a little girl, my parents, and eventually myself, fled El Salvador because of a civil war and arrived in the United States looking for safety and a brighter future as a family.
[link removed] [[link removed]] On this Valentine’s Day—an occasion to lift up love, care, and friendship— I want you to know that there are countless people in this country who want all the best for you. These are people who are fighting every day to make sure you’re free and reunited with your family and loved ones, in a caring community; who are invested in keeping you safe for the time you are in detention; and who do this from a place of genuine love and solidarity.
All of us are brilliantly colored, uniquely shaped puzzle pieces that, when laid side by side, contribute to a broader whole. I know it’s frustrating and heartbreaking when it feels like an angry and hateful few try to pick our pieces apart and destroy such a beautiful picture.
YOU are very much a part of this puzzle. You belong here!
For all that you’ve lived through on your journey to the United States, everything you’re dealing with and feeling now, and all that you will continue to do after, your voice and your presence will be one of the most important pieces in the years to come.
We at the Young Center see SO much potential in you. Through our work, we will keep highlighting that, to be your best, you need all the support you can get to grow strong, safe, and free.
You are a special person and a blessing in our world. Every day, we will keep pushing to do better, no matter what happens or how hard things get. Every day, remember that you’re not alone.
With love,
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Gladis Molina Alt
Young Center Executive Director
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www.theyoungcenter.org [[link removed]]
Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights
2245 S. MICHIGAN AVE, SUITE 301,
Chicago, IL 60616
United States
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