With National Hispanic American Heritage Month coming to an end, I figured it would be a great idea to shed some light on a topic that has often been pushed under the rug. More and more immigrant children have been making their way to the United States either alone or with their families. The process they must go through in which they get settled into a community is a rather lengthy process. These children are detained and placed in very poor environments, which pose a huge threat to their wellbeing. Furthermore, the conditions they’re living in can harm and possibly traumatize them in the long run. The fact of the matter is the Department of Homeland Security’s facilities do not meet the standards that they should be meeting.
Many are advocating for basic health care for these children so that they may maintain good health and so there is less risk of any virus being spread through the facilities. People are also seeking support for these children to help with any harm or trauma they may have experienced while in the facilities or beforehand. Lastly, they are recommending these children receive proper care when they are placed in their new community. This extends over all areas including ensuring the child receives access to an education and the legal services they will need to get through the whole process. While there are people out there at the forefront helping, many of us wonder how we could help.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48710432
It can feel extremely helpless and like there is nothing you can do, especially when you are not working in the specific fields they need the most assistance from. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available for us online and plenty of ways to help.
1. Call your representatives.
You can reach your representative by calling 202-225-3121, or 202-224-3121 to reach your U.S. senators. Call and ask the operator to connect you to your representative or senator.
2. Continue discussing the topic, and encourage others to call.
As small as it may seem, one of the best things you can do to help, is spread awareness. It is much easier to spread awareness thanks to the digital age we are living in. We can use social media to encourage our peers to make their own phone calls to their representatives. These little actions can go a long way.
https://www.vox.com/2018/5/29/17405404/missing-migrant-children-trump
Even the smallest bit of help you give could go a long way for the future of these children.
3. Donate to organizations that support the cause.
There are plenty of organizations that are working overtime to keep these children out of these facilities. Your donation helps these children by giving these organizations the means to provide their services. Two examples of some of the major organizations are Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Asylum Seeker provides legal aid to refugee families, and Lutheran Immigration is a faith-based organization that helps refugees by ensuring they are protected and welcomed into their new communities.
There are plenty of other organizations that one could work with if they want to be more hands-on in helping these children. For anyone that works in the legal field, the Florence Project is a nonprofit organization based in Arizona that provides free legal and social services to both detained adults and children who are without parents. This organization provides plenty of jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities. Fostering a child is another option to help these refugees. Typically, there is a set of requirements to even be considered to foster one of these children. There are so many more ways to be involved and so many other organizations to support. Even the smallest bit of help you give could go a long way for the future of these children.