On Saturday, June 30, cities across the country, including Buffalo, will host protests against the Trump administration’s cruel policies. New and disturbing stories are reported daily thanks to the work of community activists, whistle-blowers, government employees, and journalists. What we know so far is that at least 2,300 immigrant children have been ripped away from their parents and there is no stated unification plan. The children are placed in cages inside of detention centers, or worse shuttled away across the U.S. These children are being moved in small groups mostly in the middle of the night, some as young as 8 months, many pre-verbal. There seems to be little to no record keeping or way to track them.
Meanwhile, parents continue to move through the court system and are facing federal criminal charges for attempting to cross the border. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) organizations are on the front lines attempting to locate each parent and child and provide them with legal counsel. Through their work and the work of reporters, we are beginning to hear the individual stories and are learning that some of these parents have already been deported back to their country of origin, with no effort made at reunification, many parents have not heard from their children, or have not been notified as to where they are being kept.
It was reported last night that one child was admitted to a hospital in NYC for being suicidal, there are other reports of children being admitted to hospitals with no medical records. The children have presented with depression, anxiety, asthma, constipation and other ailments. In response, Mayor de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, said. “The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will donate $10,000 to purchase affinity objects that can help children cope with trauma, items like teddy bears.”
Public pressure and outrage is mounting. To fight back, a number of organizations including the National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the ACLU, the Women’s March, and MoveOn, among others — have organized a nationwide protest on Saturday, June 30. The main demonstration is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.
In Buffalo, you can show your support for these families and send a clear message to Washington that these actions will not be tolerated. Attend the Families Belong Together event on Saturday, June 30 at 10 a.m. located at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York Buffalo, NY
Click here to register or join the Facebook event here. When posting you can use the tag #FamiliesBelongTogether