Today I spoke with Anne Chandler, executive director of @tahirihjustice Houston office, about the child-parent separation happening right now. Anne and her colleagues assist immigrant women and children, and she gave me some insight into what she’s been seeing: 1/6
@tahirihjustice “In the shelters, they can’t even find the parents because the kids are just crying inconsolably, they often don’t know the full legal name of their parents or their date of birth. They’re not in a position to share a trauma story like what caused the migration.” 2/6
@tahirihjustice “And that’s where these attorneys are frustrated—they can’t be attorneys. How do they talk and try to console and communicate with a five-year-old who is just focused on 'I want my mom or dad,' right?” 3/6
@tahirihjustice “To me, you know, if you’re going to justify this in some way under the law, the idea that these parents don’t have the ability to obtain very simple answers—what are my rights and when can I be reunited with my kid before I’m deported without them?—is horrible." 4/6
@tahirihjustice "The fact that I, as an attorney specializing in this area, cannot go to a detention center and tell a mother or father what a legal procedure is for them to their child or to reunite with their child even if they want to go home?" 5/6
@tahirihjustice "In my experience, they’re not releasing these children to the parents as they’re deported." 6/6
To read more from this conversation: texasmonthly.com/news/whats-rea…
