Philanthropy California Statement On Family Separations

As Philanthropy California, we join our partners in philanthropy, along with advocates and immigrant communities, in calling for an end to the practice of separating children from their parents as part of the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Our nation has long been a place of promise of safety and respite from harm. Today, for thousands of children and their families, that promise has been replaced with peril. Separating children from their parents inflicts unnecessary trauma on children that can cause lasting harm. (See the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2017 policy statement regarding child health impact of separation). The current practices at the border are an affront to the shared values of decency, humanity, and compassion that underpin our work in philanthropy, and that we believe to be fundamental to a civil society.

This is one of those pivotal moments in history when it is important for all of us to speak up for what is right – to demand that all children and families, regardless of their immigration status, be treated with compassion, humanity, and respect.

To learn more about the current situation and how you can respond, join us and Grantmakers Concerned for Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) for a webinar on Wednesday, June 27 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM PST. You can register for the webinar here.

Sincerely,

Ellen LaPointe Christine Essel Nancy Jamison
President and CEO President and CEO President and CEO
Northern California Grantmakers Southern California Grantmakers San Diego Grantmakers

Philanthropy CA Statement on the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union Tribune Ad

The following is a statement by Philanthropy California regarding an ad placed by Philanthropy CA and other philanthropic organizations in the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union Tribune on June 24, 2018:

The picture of a crying child that we and others have featured over the past week depicts the trauma and human rights violations facing immigrant and refugee families at the U.S. border due to current policies. While this child was fortunately not separated from her parents as thousands of others have been and still are, we stand by our shared commitment to protecting families and protecting human rights.

Additional Resources

The following is a non-exhaustive list of resources regarding the federal government's immigration policies separating families of immigrants.

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees will host a webinar on June 27 featuring a panel of experts on the current situation and exploring the impact of these policies on families and children. To learn more about GCIR’s recommendations on how philanthropy can respond, please register for: Where Are the Children? Family Separation Becomes U.S. Immigration Enforcement Policy.
The ACLU is litigating this policy in California. ACLU Foundation is a national organization that has defended the civil rights of individuals for nearly a century. Its Immigrant Rights Project is a unit within the ACLU that defends the rights of immigrants and is currently litigating family separation issues. ACLU National Prison Project is dedicated to ensuring that our nation’s prisons, jails and other places of detention comply with the Constitution, domestic law and international human rights principles, and to ending the policies that have given the United States the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Al Otro Lado is a binational organization that works to offer legal services to deportees and migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, including deportee parents whose children remain in the U.S.
The American Academy of Pediatrics published the Detention of Immigrant Children.
American Gateways champions the dignity and human rights of immigrants, refugees and survivors of persecution, torture, conflict and human trafficking through immigration legal services at no or low cost, education and advocacy.
American Immigrant Representation Project (AIRP) works to secure legal representation for immigrants.
American Immigration Council provides pro-bono lawyers to people in detention through the Immigration Justice Campaign.
Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project provides emergency legal aid to refugee families.
The Blue Shield of California Foundation shared a blog post titled Keeping Families and Futures Intact: Action Steps for Funders.
The California Immigrant Policy Center and The Children’s Partnership published The Effect of Hostile Immigration Policies on Children’s Mental Health.
CARA—a consortium of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, the American Immigration Council, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services and the American Immigration Lawyers Association—provides legal services at family detention centers.
CASA in Maryland, D.C., Virginia and Pennsylvania, litigates, advocates and represents minors needing legal services.
Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS)* is a national organization that protects the fundamental human rights of refugee women, children, LGBT individuals, and others who flee persecution in their home countries. CGRS is taking the lead in responding to the administration’s attempts to dismantle asylum protections for victims of domestic violence.
Central American Resource Center of Northern California (CARECEN) responds to the needs, rights and aspirations of immigrant families in the Bay Area through direct services, community development and advocacy. CARECEN leads efforts to protect and provide services to unaccompanied immigrant children.
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) published resources Protecting Immigrant Families.
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) provides immigration legal services at low-cost to its members.
CLINIC’s Defending Vulnerable Populations offers case assistance to hundreds of small organizations all over the country that do direct services for migrant families and children.
Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services provides free and low cost immigration services.
The Florence Project is offering free legal services to men, women and unaccompanied children in immigration custody in Arizona.
Grassroots Leadership works for a more just society where prison profiteering, mass incarceration, deportation and criminalization are things of the past.
Hispanics in Philanthropy released a statement that includes 5 Ways You Can Stand Up for Immigrant Children & Families TODAY.
Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative has a guide of organizations throughout Texas that provide direct legal services to separated children. The guide also includes resources for local advocates, lawyers and volunteers.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center defends immigrant communities against systemic injustices in the legal system.
Justice for Our Neighbors provides low income families with affordable immigration legal services.
Kaiser Family Foundation published Key Health Implications of Separation of Families at the Border.
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) works to ensure that kids do not appear in immigration court without representation, and to lobby for policies that advocate for children’s legal interests.
The Kino Border Initiative provides humanitarian aid to refugees and migrants on both sides of the border. They have a wish-list of supplies they can use to help migrants and families staying in the communities they serve.
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center is dedicated to serving the legal needs of low income immigrants, including refugees, victims of crime and families seeking reunification.
The Legal Aid Justice Center is providing unaccompanied minors legal services and representation in Virginia.
Legal Services for Children provides free representation, mental health and case management services to children and youth to stabilize their lives and realize their full potential. They represent detained children and those in removal proceedings.
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service works with refugees, children and migrants to ensure they are protected and welcomed into local communities throughout the United States.
MOTHERLY shared 10 powerful ways we can help immigrant children separated from their parents.
National Center on Youth Law leads high impact campaigns that weave together litigation, research, public awareness, policy development and technical assistance. The Center’s goal is not to reform one particular system, but to transform the multiple public systems serving vulnerable children so that they receive the supports they need to advance and thrive.
The National Immigrant Justice Center represents and advocates for detained adults and children facing removal, supports efforts at the border and represents parents in the interior who have been separated from their families as a result of aggressive enforcement.
National Immigration Law Center is dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of immigrants with low income.
The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project is defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through direct legal services, systemic advocacy and community education.
Pueblo Sin Fronteras provides humanitarian aid and shelter to migrants on their way to the U.S.
Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) providing rovides free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families and refugees in Central and South Texas. They have been raising funds to get parents out of detention so that they can be reunited with their children.
The San Francisco Foundation published an article by CEO Fred Blackwell providing giving recommendations.
South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), a joint project of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, is a national effort to provide pro bono legal services to asylum seekers detained in South Texas by the United States government.
Texas Civil Rights Project uses legal advocacy to empower Texas communities to protect and expand voting rights and advance racial and economic justice.
Texas Rural Legal Aid (TRLA) provides free legal services to low-income residents in sixty-eight counties of Southwest Texas, and represents migrant and seasonal farm workers throughout the state of Texas and six southern states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.
TIME published an article titled Thousands of Migrant Children Are Being Separated From Their Families at the Border. Here's How to Help Them.
Together Rising is helping provide legal assistance for 60 migrant children in Arizona who were separated from their parents and are currently detained.
The Urban Justice Center’s Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project is working to keep families together.
Women’s Refugee Commission advocates for the rights and protection of women, children and youth fleeing violence and persecution.
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights works for the rights of children in immigration proceedings.