Children of Immigrants in the U.S. Child Welfare System | First Focus http://bit.ly/PIeNuA

In a Press Release on July 16, Rep. Roybal-Allard’s office announced that she has introduced the Help Separated Families Act. A mother herself, Rep. Roybal-Allard made a strong statement on the rights of undocumented immigrants here in the US.

“People, regardless of their immigration status, deserve to know that their children are cared for, and when possible, children should be able to remain under the care of a family relative instead of becoming a ward of the state.”

We couldn’t agree more. And if you do too, give your rep a call and let them know this issue matters to you.

Learn more about the act in this letter we just signed here at SAALT, coordinated by Focus First.

“The statistics clearly demonstrate that immigration enforcement activities are tearing families apart, sometimes permanently. In the first six months of 2011, the Department of Homeland Security reported that more than 46,000 parents of U.S. citizen children had been removed from the United States. Another report issued by the Applied Research Center revealed that approximately 5,100 children are currently in the child welfare system due to a parent’s detention or removal.”

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