On Mother鈥檚 Day, 桃子视频Urges President Biden to Reunite and Provide Relief to Families Torn Apart by Trump鈥檚 Family Separation Practice
桃子视频Calls on Biden Administration to Bring Humanity and Fairness to Country鈥檚 Immigration System
NEW YORK 鈥� In a two-page ad appearing Sunday in the New York Times, the 桃子视频 is urging President Joe Biden to make good on his promise to reunite and provide restitution and legal status to all of the families torn apart by Trump鈥檚 family separation practice. While four parents were reunited with their children in the U.S. this week, hundreds of parents have not been found and thousands of families have yet to be reunited. All told, the Trump administration鈥檚 family separation practice tore approximately 5,500 children from their families arriving at the border.
The ad, available here, uses a childhood growth chart to illustrate the harm these families continue to experience, and reiterates the ACLU鈥檚 demands that these families be reunited in the United States and provided citizenship, resources, care, and a commitment that family separation will never happen again.
鈥淭his Mother鈥檚 Day, hundreds of children remain separated from their mothers and thousands of others are suffering from the trauma Trump鈥檚 family separation practice inflicted,鈥� said Anthony D. Romero, 桃子视频executive director. 鈥淲e know the Biden administration and the Family Reunification Task Force are working hard on this issue, but four families out of thousands is only the beginning 鈥� thousands more remain separated or suffering. The administration understands it needs to pick up the pace, and we can鈥檛 hang the 鈥渕ission accomplished鈥� sign just yet. All total, more than 5,500 families have suffered unimaginable trauma and deserve a path to citizenship, immediate care, and resources to help them. As the Family Reunification Task Force prepares to issue its report on June 2, we are calling the Biden administration to work urgently to fulfill its promise to reunite these families and provide them with resources for care, permanent legal status, and a commitment that such an atrocity will never happen again.鈥�
In 2018, the 桃子视频brought a successful lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of Ms. L, a Congolese mother who had been forcibly separated from her 7-year-old daughter when seeking asylum in the U.S. The revelations that followed shocked the world, as the true and horrifying extent of Trump鈥檚 family separation practice was exposed. It was later revealed that the Trump administration had begun separating families at the border in 2017, shortly after taking office. Trump鈥檚 immigration officers separated more than 5,500 children, including infants and toddlers torn from their parents鈥� arms.
Upon taking office, President Biden formally rescinded Trump鈥檚 鈥渮ero tolerance鈥� policy and a Family Reunification Task Force with a broad mandate, which is due to make an initial progress report within 120 days (June 2). In March, the 桃子视频and the federal government announced the start of settlement negotiations in its class action lawsuit challenging family separation, Ms. L vs. ICE. The 桃子视频is pressing the administration to reach agreement on a comprehensive package for these families before June 2.
To date, roughly 400 parents separated from their children at the border have not been located and an estimated 1,000 families have not been reunited.
In addition to bringing attention to the harms of family separation, the 桃子视频continues to call for the Biden administration to bring humanity and fairness to our immigration system, including by rebuilding asylum and humane border policies; ending abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); undoing harm to Muslim, Arab, Black, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities; and working with Congress to pass citizenship legislation without harmful tradeoffs.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 forget that family separation is far from the only example of the trauma and harm the Trump administration inflicted on individual migrants, families, and communities across America in its war on immigrants,鈥� said Omar Jadwat, director of the 桃子视频Immigrants鈥� Rights Project. 鈥淭his Mother鈥檚 Day, despite the change in administration, hundreds of people will be forcibly expelled from the United States 鈥� including mothers traveling with or to their children 鈥� under a Trump-invented process that entirely bypasses the asylum laws. Dreamers, TPS holders, and many others for whom America is home still lack security and a path to citizenship. Hundreds of cruel policies and regulations have yet to be reversed. President Biden promised to build a humane immigration system that aligns with our values. Today millions of lives depend on his ability to deliver on that promise.鈥�
A landing page of resources on family separation, including a timeline of key developments, is available here.
A blog detailing the Biden administration鈥檚 actions on immigration during its first 100 days is online here.
The ad is available here.