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I’m in #Calexico working with 17 parents who were separated from their kids and deported without them. These 17 parents were among the 29 who returned to the US on 3/2 to reunify with their children and seek asylum. They are STILL detained
They are all STILL separated from their children. ICE won’t consider their release until they pass their Credible Fear Interviews, yet Asylum HQ ordered that they NOT schedule the interviews for weeks! We had to ask members of Congress to intervene
It’s heartbreaking to see how traumatized the parents are from this detention and continued separation. I felt like I was torturing them by making them talk about why they fled their countries. One of the dads was pulling his beard out and crying as we prepared for his interview
These parents chose NOT to have their kids returned to them in their home countries for good reason. Multiple parents suffered attempts on their lives after being deported. Some are still so traumatized by the separation that everything that came after is a blur
These parents should have been reunified with their kids before being forced to recount the most traumatic incidents of their lives. Add to that the medical issues they are suffering inside....one mom’s entire body is covered in a rash from an allergic reaction to the clothing
Some of the parents haven’t seen their kids in over a year. Some of the kids are STILL detained. One of the children of these detained parents recently self-harmed because she is so desperate to be with her mom.
In the face of all this misery, these parents know they are the lucky ones. Of hundreds who have been deported without their kids, only 29 have made it back. We are so close. Please pray that they will be with their kids soon 🙏🏼
