Ask Congress to protect children and keep families together
originally by: Women’s Refugee Commission
June 2011
Jeanne, from Haiti, is the mother of four U.S. citizen children. She was arrested in her home in the early morning hours after an abusive boyfriend made a false 911 call against her. She was sent to an immigration detention center 400 miles away from her children, without an opportunity to make care arrangements for them.
For six months, Jeanne had no idea where her children were or if they were safe. When she was finally released, she found that her children had been separated from each other and were living in extremely perilous situations. One child spent much of his time in his father’s taxicab. Another was living with an unknown family that had taken him in. Another child was placed with her abusive father, but he had kicked her out. Jeanne found her living with a school friend’s family.
Sadly, Jeanne’s situation is not uncommon for a parent who ends up in immigration detention. Because there is no requirement that parents who are apprehended by immigration be permitted to make a phone call early enough to make childcare arrangements, many children—including those who are U.S. citizens—are left alone when their parents are detained. Others needlessly end up in the child welfare system.
Once a child is in this system, there are many requirements a parent must meet to reunite with his or her child; but, it is all but impossible to meet these requirements when detained. As a result, thousands of children face permanent separation from their parents, and immigrant parents across the country are experiencing serious challenges to their custody rights.
Keeping families like Jeanne’s together does not mean we have to stop enforcing our immigration laws. But, our first priority should be to decide whether parents of minor children need to be detained. Alternatives to detention exist, and many parents can and should be allowed to stay with their children in the community, where they can make the best long-term decisions for their family. When detention is necessary, we must ensure that parents have the opportunity to participate in hearings affecting their children’s custody and make arrangements for their children’s care.
Please take action and ask Congress to pass the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for Separated Children Act.
