Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (https://jjie.org/tag/immigrants/)
“See, too, that girl of thirteen, weeping, yes! weeping, as she thinks of the mother from whom she has been torn!” —Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” 1852
People do not belong in cages. Youth do not belong in cages. Children do not belong in cages. Babies do not belong in cages.
The weapon of incarceration that terrorizes black families has been turned against people from South and Central America who are fleeing unspeakable violence. Racism — the lifeblood of the Trump presidency — fuels and sustains both systems.
“Animals.” “Menace.” “Blood-stained killing fields.” These are all terms President Donald Trump used in a one-week period to describe undocumented immigrants, alleged members of MS-13 and the purported harm they are causing our country. The White House doubled down on these assertions by releasing an official statement titled, “What You Need to Know About the Violent Animals of MS-13.”
It’s fair to say that most of us working in the youth justice field do so because we’re committed to brighter futures for all kids, especially the ones facing the longest odds. We believe in human potential and second chances. We also believe that ensuring young people reach that potential requires policies that keep families together and allow them to flourish, communities that support them and systems that protect them.
Before the slaughter at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, The New York Times produced a powerful graphic showing the millions of NRA dollars some individual, yes, individual, U.S. senators and members of Congress have received, juxtaposed with their prayers and condolences to the families of shooting victims. That kind of hypocrisy didn’t surprise. It’s what we, as a nation, have become.
Children and youth could see some gains under a bill that passed Congress early this morning, funding the government through March 23. The bill raises caps on domestic and military spending by about $300 billion and allots money for disaster relief and the opioid epidemic.
The physicians of Los Angeles + USC Medical Center weren't inside for their normal rounds on Nov. 14. They were outside on the front steps, holding a rally in support of undocumented children and families, who make up a large part of their patients.
As a high school sophomore and DACA recipient, the connections Danny Rodas made through his mentorship program were invaluable to helping him understand the challenges he would face paying for college.
Mauricio Lopez-Marquez hadn’t wanted to be carted from Mexico City to Santa Fe when he was an undocumented 14-year-old. His parents talked about the amazing opportunity he and his brother Gustavo would have.
George Kenefati, a sophomore at Macaulay Honors College in Manhattan, recently posted a social event on Facebook for his fellow students. It was meant to raise awareness of the challenges faced by students in the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals program. Kenefati, 19, is originally from Venezuela. His family migrated when he was 6.