Here Are Ways To Help Immigrant Families Being Separated At The Border

Here Are Ways To Help Immigrant Families Being Separated At The Border

By now you have seen the photograph of a two-year old immigrant, Honduran asylum seeker crying hysterically as the toddler and her mother were taken into custody at the US-Mexico border. The heart-wrenching image taken by John Moore, a special correspondent and senior staff photographer for Getty Images is one of some of the photos that he uploaded into his Instagram during his time in McAllen Texas .

We also know that the Associated Press obtained data from the Department of Homeland Security showing that between April 19 and May 31, 1,995 minors have been separated from their families. 

UPDATE to this article published 6/2018: June 2019 – Around 2,000 — 2,081 as of June 13,2019 are “unaccompanied alien children,” or children being held without adult relatives in separate facilities. During a press call, a Customs and Border Protection official said, referring to the total number of people in custody, “when we have 4,000 in custody, we consider that high. 6,000 is a crisis.”

The constant flow of images, the rising number of minors being separated, and the lies and conflicting information coming from the White House has put everyone on edge.

What can we do to help? Which organizations are providing support to parents who have been separated from their children? Below, we have compiled a list of organizations that you can support, journalists traveling to detention centers to report from the ground, as well as a list of Senators (depending on which state you live) of those who haven’t shown support for the Keep Families Together Act.

Where To Donate Money or Other Needed Resources – 

RAICES (Texas) – fund the bond necessary to get parents out of detention and reunited with their children while awaiting court proceedings

Leaf Project (Texas) – funds that will be used to help represent released unaccompanied minors

Texas Civil Rights Project – translators, and paralegals

Al Otro Lado (California) – social workers, paralegals, doctors, you name it

Aldea The People’s Justice Center (Pennsylvania) – ground advocates

Florence Project (Arizona) – pro bono attorneys, administrative work

Sacred Heart Church (McAllen Texas) – an Amazon list by Natalie Montelengo of ACLU with items needed by families seeking asylum

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (Washington state) – translators and interpreters

Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants (Chicago) – volunteers at immigration court

La Union del Pueblo Entero (Texas) – donations for legal services

Border Angels (California) – funds to provide free legal immigration services, and migrant outreach

Fronterizo Fianza Fund – the funds are used to pay for bonds of detained migrants

Journalists To Follow

Adolfo Flores – National Security Correspondent for immigration, BuzzFeed News

Roque Planas – National Reporter, Huffington Post

Gabe Ortiz – Staff Writer, DailyKos

Aura Abogado, Reporter, Reveal

Julia Preston – Contributing Writer, The Marshall Project

Lomi Kriel – Immigration reporter, Houston Chronicle

Nick Miroff – National Security reporter, Washington Post

Miriam Jordan – National Immigration Correspondent, The New York Times

Contact Your Elected Officials 

Texas Congresswoman, Rep. Veronica Escobar A ‘fronteriza’ at the front lines, on the border.

Senator Diane Feinstein’s S. 3036, Keep Families Together Act is currently co-sponsored by all Democratic senators. If you don’t see your senator’sname on the list, call them: (202) 224-3121.

5 Calls Civic Action is a free service that provides you with the phone numbers numbers and script to contact your senator and representative. You can also donate to their cause.  

 

Read More

Chelo Alonso Built a Career As A ShowGirl on Her Own Terms, Then Walked Away

Chelo Alonso Built a Career As A ShowGirl on Her Own Terms, Then Walked Away

Europe wanted to sell her as spectacle but Afro-Latina actress and dancer Chelo Alonso who became a star in Europe, took the career, built a life, and left when she was ready.

Who Actually Created Hispanic Heritage Month? The Law, Explained

Who Actually Created Hispanic Heritage Month? The Law, Explained

Hispanic Heritage Month started as a week in 1968. Here's the law, and the president, that made it a month twenty years later.

Yma Sumac: The Peruvian Singer With a Five-Octave Voice

Yma Sumac: The Peruvian Singer With a Five-Octave Voice

Born on September 13, 1922, Yma Sumac became a global music icon with a voice spanning approximately four to five octaves. In our '100 BoldLatinas' series we honor the Peruvian singer who brought Andean influences to international stages and broke barriers for Latinas.

5 Films and Resources That Center Latino and Immigrant Stories of 9/11

5 Films and Resources That Center Latino and Immigrant Stories of 9/11

Five films, interviews and resources that restore Latino and immigrant experiences to the story of September 11.

Join our community

Get weekly inspiration for living well delivered straight to your inbox.