Mateo* was only six years old when immigration officials took him from his father at the border. Like many separated children, Mateo's father was deported without him, leaving him traumatized and unsure of his future. Click here to learn more about Mateo's story in this video from Young Center Associate Director Elizabeth Frankel.
Thanks to your support, Mateo is now safely with his family. But more than 600 children remain separated from their parents and although the "Zero-Tolerance" program is over, family separation continues in other forms that will not end overnight in January. No child should face this kind of trauma.
At the Young Center, we know that it's not enough to undo the immense harm inflicted on children by the administration. We must hold the administration accountable for the cruelty of family separation, effectively ending asylum at the border, and continued deportation of families during a pandemic. We must also actively build a new system, one where no child is taken from a loving caretaker and families have the right to remain together and out of detention. Your support allows us to fight for separated and unaccompanied children and work for a reimagined system that sees and treats children as children.
The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights works with the most vulnerable unaccompanied and separated immigrant children in federal custody, so their voices are heard, and their best interests are protected. We also advocate for an immigration system that treats children as children. To learn more about our work, visit theyoungcenter.org. Click here to donate.
