Families Are *Still* Being Separated! 5 Things You Can Do Today
By Naureen Shah, senior director of campaigns at Amnesty International USA
It’s bizarre that despite weeks in the national spotlight, this is still happening: Parents and kids, many on the run from deadly violence, are seeking safety here only to be torn apart by the U.S. government. The kids — including toddlers and even infants — may be shipped to government-run shelters, sometimes hundreds of miles away. The parents are in unfathomable pain.
Amnesty International has called this a flagrant human rights violation. Here’s what you can do about it — because this is too great an outrage for any of us to do nothing:
1. Flood your member of Congress with emails
We need Congress to put as much pressure on President Trump as possible. Help us flood your representative’s inbox so they feel compelled to act. We need all 535 members of Congress to speak out. As of last week, 108 members signed on to an effort to stop government funding of family separation as a deterrent policy and 40 senators wrote Trump calling the practice “inhumane.” Every member of Congress should be taking action.
2. Share the stories of separation
Everyone you know should be outraged, but many people still don’t know or believe that this cruel practice is happening. Sadly there are hundreds of parents and kids who know first-hand what it’s like to be separated. You can help share their stories — many are being tagged with #FamiliesBelongTogether and #KeepFamiliesTogether on Twitter and Facebook — by reposting on your social networks. Tag @amnestyusa on your posts so we can amplify your voice.
The more people learn these stories, the more they will speak out — and force the Trump administration to stop this cruelty.
3. Join marches across the country on June 14th
Join more than 4,000 people at locally organized marches, rallies and vigils 45 cities on Thursday, June 14 to show your outrage and demand President Trump take action. Families Belong Together, a group of concerned individuals who oppose the cruel, inhumane and unjustified separation of children from their parents, is encouraging people to join events on their map.
4. Write a personal letter to your member of Congress
Members of Congress want to know what you — their constituent — care about. Although taking action online helps, a handwritten letter helps even more. It shows that you are heavily invested in the issue and you expect your representative to get involved — right now.
Share your family’s own story of immigration or movement, or the personal reasons you’re so concerned as a parent, child or human being. Learn more through our letter-writing guide.
5. Make your school or city officially welcome people fleeing persecution
Join us in fighting for hope and compassion in schools and cities across the country. We’re trying to get 100 pro-refugee resolutions passed in two years — and we’re making it happen across the map. This is a concrete step you can take in your community, right now. Sign up and learn more today.
Looking for more? Check out resources from organizers with the Women’s March, especially for young activists.
