5 Things You Can Do About Family Separation

Recent news reports and audio recordings of immigrant children being forcibly separated from their parents have churned our stomachs and put fire into our voices. The practice of separating families is not new, and unless there are major changes to our immigration system, it will continue. Any proposed “solution” from Congress or executive order from the White House must be examined closely and seen within the bigger picture of mass arrests and detentions of immigrants and their families.

Here are five ways you can take action to support immigrant families today

1. Tell President Trump families belong in communities, not cages.

Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order to put families in detention centers for an indefinite amount of time. Families, especially those seeking asylum and fleeing trauma, need to be in their communities, not in a cage.

Send an email or call the White House comment line (202) 456-1111 today to let these families go.

2. Call your elected official to the House of Representatives and tell them to vote NO on two anti-immigration bills expected to be voted on today.

H.R. 4760, Rep. Goodlatte’s Securing America’s Future Act, and H.R. 6136, Speaker Ryan’s Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018, will both deliver serious cuts to our current immigration system. They do nothing to create a fair path to citizenship for DACA recipients and other undocumented young people. These bills will create a mass deportation system aimed at separating even more families.

Use NETWORK’s call tool by dialing 1-888-436-6478 to be connected to your representative. When you call, here’s what you might say:

“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I am a constituent from [CITY/TOWN]. I’m calling today to urge the Representative to vote NO on two immigration bills that are anticipated for a vote today. Both Representative Goodlatte’s bill (HR 4760) and Speaker Ryan’s bill (HR 6136) criminalize our immigrant communities and fail to provide a compassionate and permanent solution for DACA recipients. Further, these bills do nothing of substance to end the immoral practice of family separation. Instead, I urge the Representative to support a bipartisan approach to addressing one of the largest humanitarian crises of our time. This is not the time for partisan politics, it is time to pass a compassionate solution for young immigrants and our larger community. Will the Representative oppose the Goodlatte bill and make sure that any so-called compromise legislation is truly done in a bipartisan manner?”

3. Attend a vigil tonight outside Sen. McConnell’s Office

Our friends at the Northern Kentucky chapter of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth are hosting a vigil outside Senator Mitch McConnell’s office tonight, Thursday, June 21 at 7PM. Click here for the Facebook event page.

4. Join IJPC for a Stop Separating Families event on Monday

IJPC is hosting an event on Monday, June 25 at 6PM to educate and activate the community on existing national policies, especially taking place along the US-Mexico border, and local policies that separate families right here in Ohio. If you’re unable to attend, be sure to watch the event live streamed on IJPC’s Facebook page. Click here for the Facebook event page.

5. Rally on Saturday, June 30

The struggle to keep immigrant families together and out of detention is going to be a long one. Children do not belong in private prisons while our government sorts out their mess. Keep the pressure on and join several local groups holding a rally at Washington Park as part of a national day of action on Saturday, June 30 at 11AM. Click here for the Facebook event page.

We will continue to watch and monitor changing policies and legislation that criminalizes and deports our immigrant neighbors. Together, our combined voices will prevail.