Like many on the border (and elsewhere), I’ve been working day and night to fight President Trump's monstrous and morally irredeemable family separation policy. But in spite of the now daily injustices wrought by the Trump administration, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, somehow I feel so energized—overwhelmed, but energized. Finally, we are not alone, and we feel everyone’s energy bent towards ending this crisis.

If you want to help migrant children and families, here's where to start:

Understand the problem. The separation of immigrant families is a willfully engineered humanitarian crisis wrought by policies enacted by the Trump Administration. The prosecution of every immigrant, including asylum seekers, for improper entry into our country has already separated families and, after the Executive Order, will jail families together as their immigration and criminal cases proceed. Experts documented that jailing people causes long term harm to both children and adults. There are alternatives to detention, such as the Case Management Program, that treat people humanely, ensure people arrive in court and cost significantly less.  

Call your members of Congress. Call your local representatives urging them to:

  1. Require the use of alternatives to detention instead of expanding facilities to jail immigrant families;
  2. Prohibit the prosecution of asylum seekers and call for an end to President Trump’s policy of prosecuting all persons for improper entry into the U.S.; and
  3. Demand meaningful and enhanced oversight of immigration officials.

Donate. Here’s a list of organizations working tirelessly to provide either legal help, food and shelter, or bonds to families: