More than 2800 children are still locked up, away from their parents.
HHS’s Azar told Congress: “…within seconds, [I] could find any child within our care for any parent.” But last week, he had only re-united 57 of 103 children under age 5, violating the court-imposed deadline. The other 46 were “ineligible” because their parents had been deported, had been accused of crimes (one was a DUI), or were sick. The next deadline, to re-unify parents and older children, is July 26.
Meanwhile, children and their parents are abused:
- Parents have to undergo (and pay for) DNA tests, needlessly delaying reunification.
- Children are subject to draconian rules: No writing in your room. No mail. No touching (not even your sibling!). No running. Must clean toilets.
- Deported parents can’t have “humanitarian parole,” allowing them to re-enter the US to pick up their children!
Trump attempted to re-write the Flores Agreement (which forbids detaining the children more than 20 days) to permit them to be held indefinitely. The court rebuffed Trump. Recently, a House committee, supported by Senator Grassley, voted to repeal Flores, and Republicans have spurned requests for hearings.
These inhumane acts shame all Americans and must stop!
Join us for the #FamiliesBelongTogether rally at #ResistTrumpTuesday on Tuesday, July 17 at 11:30 at Senator Wyden’s office, 911 NE 11th Ave., Portland. We will meet with Senator Wyden’s staff to speak up for children and families. We will ask the Senator to
- Do all he can to stop the GOP policy of harming parents and their children with family detention and family separation to deter asylum-seekers and immigrants.
- Advocate for a reunification czar and a central clearinghouse to reunite families and children.
- Vote no on any legislation that will overturn the Flores Agreement or keep families detained longer.
(Leave a message if you can’t get through)
: “My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because I am appalled by the inhumane and illegal treatment of children separated from their parents at our borders. The administration’s cruel acts shame us all, and we must oppose and denounce them. Please tell [the Senator/Representative] to: i) vote against any Appropriations Amendment that would overturn the Flores Settlement or legalize Trump’s other heartless immigration policies, including indefinite detention; ii) call for hearings into how these abuses have occurred; and iii) advocate for a reunification czar and central clearinghouse to reunite families and children. Thank you.”
Learn how to defend vulnerable Democratic Senators and which red seats could be flipped. And check out Indivisible Oregon’s website for our plans to flip the House in the midterms. We must reclaim Congress! The 2018 elections will be the most important of our lives.
SOURCES:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/us/trump-migrants-children-border.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration/government-says-it-will-reunite-up-to-200-migrant-children-a-day-with-their-parents/2018/07/13/a003f9d0-8694-11e8-8f6c-46cb43e3f306_story.html?utm_term=.63eca91554cb
- https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-misses-court-deadline-reunited-separated-children/story?id=56520065
- https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/us/trump-migrants-children-border.html
