Protecting Children and Families: A Letter of Support

Apr 22, 2010

August 28, 2009

RE: Support for H.R. 3531, the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act

Dear Member of Congress:

We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to support the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act, sponsored by Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). This bill would implement critically needed reforms to protect children, families and communities impacted by immigration enforcement.

Enforcement activities conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") and local law enforcement agencies operating under agreement with ICE too often result in unnecessary harm to children, families and communities. In recent years, ICE has arrested and detained hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have jobs, homes and U.S. citizen children. Parents who are detained are separated from their children, sometimes permanently, and always at great cost to the family's well-being and the community.

At a time when immigration enforcement is expanding, the HELP Separated Children Act would provide critical, nationwide protocols to help keep children with their parents or caregivers and out of the foster care system while their parent's or caregiver's case is pending by ensuring that vulnerable populations apprehended during immigration enforcement activities are identified and treated with dignity.

When ICE or its surrogates apprehend a parent or caregiver there is no requirement that they be given the opportunity to make childcare arrangements. Furthermore, once they are detained, there is no requirement that parents or caregivers be informed of the location of their children, nor are there any procedures in place to inform children or dependents of the whereabouts of their parents and caregivers. Many parents and caregivers are deported and are unable to arrange to have their children join them in their home country. When children are left behind at any stage in the process they have a high likelihood of ending up in the foster care system.

The HELP Separated Children Act establishes guidelines to regulate immigration enforcement activities to ensure they do not compromise the well-being and unity of children and families. Specifically, the legislation would regulate the initial processing of each individual apprehended, and require the involvement of state and local social service agencies, working in cooperation with local community organizations, to coordinate screenings for vulnerable populations.

The HELP Separated Children Act would also establish a protocol for the release of designated vulnerable individuals, either into the community on bond or parole, or into non-custodial alternatives to detention programs. This bill would save taxpayers millions of dollars and enable members of these vulnerable population groups to return to their families and communities while they go through the immigration system.

Additionally, the HELP Separated Children Act limits enforcement activities in safe zones and the involvement of children in enforcement activities, and would help family members locate those who are detained. It would also ensure that U.S. citizen and lawfully present children in the foster care system as a result of their parent, guardian or caregiver's detention or deportation receive appropriate care and would provide for improved coordination and communication between all the entities involved in the care of separated children and the custody of their parent or caregiver.

We urge you to support this legislation to restore our nation's commitment to family values, human rights, due process, and civil liberties. The federal government's current apprehension methods and detention and removal policies have resulted in traumatized children and broken families. The HELP Separated Children Act will ensure that, as we enforce our laws, we protect the sanctity of the family in American society and uphold our values as a just and dignified nation.

Sincerely,

National Organizations

America's Promise Alliance
ACLU
Alianza: National Latino Alliance for the Elimination of Domestic Violence
American Families United
American Immigration Lawyers Association
American Muslim Voice
American Psychiatric Association
American Humane Association
Amnesty International
Asian American Justice Center
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Children's Alliance
Children's Defense Fund
Church World Service, Immigration and Refugee Program
Coalition on Human Needs
Dominican Sisters of Houston
Family Violence Prevention Fund
First Focus
Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center
Foster Care Alumni of America
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Human Rights Watch
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Immigration Equality
Jubilee Campaign
Kids in Need of Defense
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Legal Momentum
League of United Latin American Citizens
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
Mental Health America
NAACP
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Sheperd
National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC)
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
National Association of Social Workers
National Center for Adoption Law & Policy
National Council of La Raza
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Forum
National Immigration Law Center
National Foster Care Coalition
NETWORK
Physicians for Human Rights
Salvadoran American National Network
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Sojourners
South Asian Americans Leading Together
The Advocates for Human Rights
The Episcopal Church
The Florence Project
The National Advocacy Center of the Good Shepherd
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
USCCB
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Voices for America's Children
Welcoming Immigrants Network
William C. Velasquez Institute
Women's Refugee Commission
World Organization for Human Rights

State and Local Organizations

Arizona
Kino Border Initiative

California
Coalition for Humane Rights of Los Angeles
Immigrant Rights Project, Public Counsel
John Burton Foundation
Satrang
Services for Immigrant Rights and Education Network

Colorado
Colorado Progressive Coalition

Florida
Catholic Charities Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami
Redlands Christian Migrant Association

Georgia
Coalition of Latino Leaders/Coalición de Líderes Latinos
Latinos for Education and Justice Organization, Inc.
Raksha, Inc.

Illinois
Apna Ghar
National Immigrant Justice Center
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law

Iowa
Child and Family Policy Center
Des Moines Human Rights Commission
Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
Iowa Civil Rights Commission
Methodist Federation for Social Action, Iowa Chapter
National Association of Social Workers, Iowa Chapter
Urbandale Civil Rights Commission

Kansas
El Centro Inc.

Kentucky
Kentucky Youth Advocates

Maine
Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
Maine Children's Alliance
Maine Parent Federation

Massachusetts
Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition

Michigan
MAI Family Services
Michigan's Children

New Jersey
Casa Freehold
IRATE/First Friends
Migration and Refugee Services, Diocese of Trenton
New Jersey Immigration Policy Network
Statewide Parent Advocacy Network

New Mexico
Family Matters: Adoption Resources

New York
Council of People's Organization
La Fuente - The New York Civic Participation Project

North Carolina
Action for Children North Carolina
El Pueblo, Inc.
Latin American Coalition
Sisters of the Mercy of the Americas, South Central Community

Ohio
Voices for Ohio's Children

Oregon
Immigration Counseling Service

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Immigrant Resource Center
Sisters of Mercy, Pittsburgh

South Carolina
South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
United Way of Anderson County (Community Impact/Success by 6)

Tennessee
Conexión Américas

Texas
ACLU of Texas
American Gateways (formerly PAPA)
Border Network for Human Rights
Center for Public Policy Priorities
Daya
Texans Care For Children
Texas Indigenous Council
Texas United for Families

Utah
Voices for Utah Children

Virginia
Reston Interfaith
Tahirih Justice Center
Voices for Virginia's Children

Vermont
Vermont Family Network
Voices for Vermont's Children

Washington
Children's Home Society of WA

Wisconsin
Voces de la Frontera

District of Columbia
Ayuda
Latin American Youth Center