Immigrant advocates gathered at the headquarters of the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network to rally together with community members and faith leaders against the Trump administration and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy of separating children from their parents. The rally was held on June 1.
The advocates discussed the actions that they could take against the administration’s policy of separating undocumented immigrants from their children when they cross the border. Some attendees characterized the forced separation as kidnapping and drew comparisons to authoritarian regimes, including the Third Reich.
The rally came after an undocumented Guatemalan immigrant who crossed the border in Texas was shot and killed by a Border Control agent. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren was in attendance and said that the forcible separation of the children from their parents violates international law. She also said that people who are presenting themselves at the border to request political asylum are not being allowed to go through the screening process.
Gaining refugee status is not easy. People whose lives would be in danger if they were returned to their home countries may be granted asylum so that they can remain in the U.S. When people who are asking for asylum at the border are not screened and are instead deported, they may return to their countries only to be killed. People who need help and want to request refugee status might want to work with experienced immigration law attorneys. The lawyers may assist their clients through the process and advocate on their behalf with the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service. They might also investigate different types of visas for which their clients are eligible so that they may have another legally valid way to enter the country.
Source: SF Gate, “Immigration advocates, allies denounce family separations at Mexican border, request federal investigation,” June 1, 2018.