John,

Like you, we are distraught, heart-broken, and struggling to find words to capture our moral outrage about the concentration camps on our border. We MUST take action. Thankfully, there are so many incredible organizations leading the way that we can support:

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A Step by Step Guide

#NeverAgain

Tomorrow, hundreds of Lights for Liberty vigils are happening worldwide to condemn this atrocity and end the human rights abuses at U.S. detention camps. A strong showing will tell policy-makers that they must act to #CloseTheCamps. We strongly suggest you find one near you here, and try to attend.

In solidarity,

Debra Hauser
President
Advocates for Youth

P.S.

Some folks have asked, “Why is Advocates for Youth supporting these movements?”

Plain and simple -- the United States is committing human rights abuses, and Advocates for Youth will always oppose such atrocities. But our mission also clearly calls us to support this work. The detention of thousands of migrants (and the unsanitary conditions they’re kept in) is a threat to the physical, sexual and mental health of the youth detained there.

Young people have reported sexual harassment and assault at the hands of boarder patrol and ICE. Young mothers have had babies ripped from their arms. Those who are detained and pregnant have no access to abortion or prenatal care. LGBTQ+ youth fleeing persecution at home have been further subjected to homophobic & transphobic slurs and actions from the very people they hoped would protection them.

The mere existence of ICE, coupled with the reprehensible mandates of this administration, and the promise of more raids to come, leave undocumented youth in this country unable to seek medical care; afraid to test for HIV or other STDs; unable to seek PrEP or contraception; unwilling to report sexual harassment, assault or violence; and vulnerable to sex trafficking for fear their status will be discovered and they will be detained and/or deported.

Young people are leading this fight, and we can support them by:

• Supporting the #AbolishICE movement
• Showing up at actions demanding they #CloseTheCamps and swiftly release those being held across the country;
• Supporting an overhaul of US immigration laws and policies, including full citizenship for Dreamers and their families;
• Being there for our partner organizations who need us, such as United We Dream, #NeverAgain, Families Belong Together, Mijente, RAICES, Familia Trans Queer Liberation Movement and more!

Demanding we #AbolishICE and #CloseTheCamps is one of the moral imperatives of our time. When the next generation asks what we did to stop the dehumanization of immigrants seeking safety and a better life in our country, we know what our answer must be.