|
Dear John,
After years of domestic abuse and threats, Marilin* made the dangerous trek from Honduras to the U.S. with her eleven-year-old Yunior*, seeking safety.
But instead of being granted asylum, she and her son were locked behind bars by ICE… and have now spent one full year detained in Dilley, Texas — a ghastly anniversary. Marilin suffers from ovarian cysts but has yet to receive medical care, and is in so much pain she cannot wear the pants that ICE has issued to her.
This is not an unusual story — Marilin and her son are among nearly 90 families still held unlawfully in ICE detention centers. Despite the rampant spread of COVID-19 in these facilities, children and their parents are still held behind bars.
Before our petition delivery in October, tell the new ICE Director, Tony Pham: #FreeTheFamilies. Release these children together WITH their parents.
The next few weeks are crucial: due to the action from people like you, the Trump administration is facing increasing legal and popular pressure to do the right thing and free these families together. But, perversely, they’d rather consider releasing the children, but keep their parents detained — which would be a human rights nightmare, as well as an unimaginable tragedy for every child and parent involved.
That’s why, this week, we’re planning a HUGE surge in our campaign to free families: our members, organizers, and staff will be delivering thousands of messages to ICE leadership and others in Washington... inundating their phone lines...and launching billboards and mobile truck ads near all three family detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania as well as right outside the homes of Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and Acting ICE Director Tony Pham, and all across Washington D.C.
We MUST kick this surge off by sending a loud-and-clear message to ICE leadership they simply cannot ignore. Hundreds of people, including Marilin and her son, are counting on us — sitting back and doing nothing is simply not an option. They’ve spent holidays — from birthdays to New Year’s and Mother’s Day — behind detention walls. They have now faced an anniversary no parent would want: one year of being locked up, simply for seeking safety here in the United States.
Will you join in sending a message to ICE, demanding they #FreeTheFamilies now? We need 10,000 signatures today before delivering these messages.
John — we have a responsibility to keep fighting for Marilin and Yunior — and all other families in detention — until they are free. These families have communities waiting to welcome them, and there is no reason, especially during a pandemic, not to release children with their parents.
Thank you for your continued action and support. We’ll keep you updated in the coming weeks on how our efforts are contributing to measurable change for these families and others.
Sincerely,
|
