Washington, D.C.-- Earlier this month, the Atlantic’s investigative and immigration reporter Caitlin Dickerson, published a jaw-dropping exposé about the Trump administration’s family separation policy that resulted in thousands of immigrant children being deliberately torn apart from their loved ones. The article— “An American Catastrophe: The Secret History of the U.S. Government’s Family-Separation Policy” —turns the lens on officials in the Trump administration who perpetrated the family separation policy to punish and deter migrants along the southern border who were seeking safety in the U.S.

As Dickerson writes, "Separating children was not just a side effect [of the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy], but the intent.”

The Trump administration’s sanctioned family separations were an unprecedented moment for advocates for children and immigrant communities. Young Center staff, volunteers, and supporters like you, jumped into action to protect children and their families and with your support, we were able to:

• Serve hundreds of children taken from their parents before, during and after “zero-tolerance”
• Testify in the U.S. Congress and uplift the stories of the children we served
• Convene a Capitol Hill briefing with Senate staff to address the impact of separation on children’s health
• Author a letter joined by 500+ organizations demanding an end to family separation.
• Issue a report on the continued practice of separating families long after “zero tolerance”
• Fight for comprehensive services for all reunifying families—including housing, work authorization, and health services

We can't thank you enough for how you helped us make these monumental achievements possible. Now, more than ever, it’s critical that our efforts to reunite children with their families deepen. To date, hundreds of children ripped from their families under "zero-tolerance" have yet to be reunited. All the while, policies like Title 42 (border expulsions without a hearing) continue to force families to separate. The traumas of family separation are far from over.

By joining our Champions for Children program, you can make a lasting difference with an auto-recurring donation that sustains our efforts to reunify families and push Congress to deliver legislation that protects children and their families. Just last month, Congress introduced the Children’s Safe Welcome Act, a landmark bill that the Young Center helped develop that would prioritize family unity and strengthen protections for children in government custody. You can help us make this bill a reality.

In solidarity,

Birdie Soti

Philanthropy Director