Families Belong Together
FAMILIES BELONG TOGETHER
For centuries our nation has touted family, democracy and mutual responsibility as American values. As we hear and read devastating stories of families being torn apart, parents being detained illegally, and children being neglected in detention centers, we are outraged that the current administration would enforce such violent and racist policies that so starkly contrast our collective values.
It is time for America to be reclaimed and rebuilt as a nation that welcomes with open arms the “tired, poor, and huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
We know that for years, the United States immigration system has separated families and punished innocent people for wanting to provide a better life for their children. We have criminalized people for reaching for the American Dream. Our country has a long history of separating vulnerable, terrified and unsuspecting children from their parents, and it is as outrageous and immoral now as it was when African-Americans, Native Americans, Japanese-Americans and so many others suffered the same violence.
In response to national outrage and tremendous organizing efforts of those in support of immigrant families this week, the President signed a new executive order that would detain families together for an indefinite amount of time. This is not a solution. We cannot lose focus--- these families are still being detained, with no plan to reunify already-separated families, and with harsher punishments for future migrants. We need to stay alert, take action and decriminalize migration.
SOMOS Mayfair is an organization that has been proudly shaped by the immigrant narrative. Our staff, our Promotores, and our community all exist, work, and thrive because of our deep and personal belief that all people deserve the opportunity to pursue a better life.
SOMOS works every day to provide robust early learning opportunities to our youngest leaders. We are constantly working to ensure that all our children have the quality resources and services that they need to succeed in school and life. We owe that to the next generation, no matter their country of origin.
We are not immune to what is happening across the country. This institutionalization of child abuse jeopardizes our communities and our collective future. We stand in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters who are suffering this abuse, and join those across Mayfair, Texas, and the world who are speaking out against the injustice happening along our border. Families belong together.
In solidarity,
The SOMOS Mayfair team