Mothers and children around the country need you to raise your voice now.
U.S. immigration officials are planning to target them in a month-long series of raids in May and June. Hundreds of Central American mothers and children will likely be deported back to conflict-torn countries where their lives are at risk.
This will likely be the largest deportation sweep targeting immigrant families by the Obama administration this year after a similar drive in January that focused on Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina.
Raids against moms and kids are not the answer.
Central American mothers and children are fleeing war-like violence in their home countries, and they’re coming to the United States because they have no other choice. Yet, many never get a fair shot at getting the protection they are entitled to under U.S. law. Nationwide, only 2% of moms and kids facing removal are able to obtain pro bono legal representation, and many are left to navigate the complex U.S. immigration system alone.
At Tahirih, we’re doing everything in our power to respond to the unprecedented demand for our free legal services for survivors of gender-based violence. In 2015 alone, we provided asylum legal assistance to 217 women and girls from Central America — a 135% increase from 2014.
We issued three urgent recommendations to the U.S. government at year’s end, and we’re dismayed that the administration continues down an inhumane path.
“This is a humanitarian situation that requires a humanitarian response. Raids are precisely the opposite: They send a shock wave through communities and place the most vulnerable among us in danger,” said Archi Pyati, Tahirih’s Director of Policy and Programs, in a media statement.
The last round of raids in January, which have continued in some communities, have eroded vulnerable immigrant women and children’s trust in law enforcement. Some women and children have said they’re now too scared to call the police for help even if facing domestic violence.
There is something you can do right now to make a difference.
Please share this message with your friends and family on social media.
Let the Obama Administration know that raids are not the answer. The arrest and deportation of asylum-seeking women and children does not align with our values as a nation.
