During the previous administration, the government cruelly engaged in the systematic separation of over 5,500 migrant families coming to the United States. The ACLU was there from the start, filing a national class-action lawsuit that successfully blocked the policy. Thousands of families have been reunited as a result.
However, families remain separated to this day. Our latest report shows the parents of hundreds of children have still not been found – and the irreparable trauma inflicted upon all the families is everlasting.
The work to undo this damage must be an urgent priority for the Biden administration and a task force on family separation is just the start. That’s why we are urging the Biden administration to commit to the following actions in its first 100 days – join us by signing the petition at https://action.aclu.org/petition/reunite-separated-families-and-provide-relief-now:
- Find the missing parents, reunite all the families, and ensure they can live in the United States together, free from detention and deportation
- Provide immediate protections from deportation and support a pathway to citizenship for all separated families
- Establish resources and redress funds that includes coverage of trauma-informed mental health services
- Make systemic changes to end family separations for good
- Pursue investigations of and accountability for those responsible
The government can never fully undo the harms inflicted by the previous administration’s cruel policy, but this holistic approach is necessary if we are to fully reckon with the systematic separation of thousands of families – and ensure that no future administration will ever erroneously consider it as a deterrent measure again.
Please sign our petition and urge the Biden administration to take action now.
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