IMAGE: CNS photo/Loren Elliott, Reuters
By
WASHINGTON
(CNS) — A report from two leading faith-based agencies serving immigrants
entering the United States from Mexico and Central America called on the
federal government to end a policy of separating children from their families and
help families comply with immigration law.
The report
details the collaboration in July between the U.S. bishops’ Office of Migration
and Refugee Services and Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee Service to assist more than 1,200 families to reunite
after children were separated from adults under the U.S. Department of Justice’s “zero
tolerance” policy.
The policy caused
a crisis at the border in the spring and summer months this year as federal
agents jailed adults crossing into the U.S. and placed the children who had accompanied them in
detention centers, largely in Texas, Arizona and California.
The
faith-based agencies mobilized in July to assist the departments of Homeland
Security and Health and Human Services reunify separated families and provide shelter,
food, clothing, counseling and case management.
Dozens of Catholic
Charities and Lutheran social service agencies throughout the country also were
involved in the reunification effort.
Titled
“Serving Separated and Reunited Families: Lessons Learned and the Way
Forward to Promote Family Unity,” the report outlines the agencies’
response and offered a series of recommendations to the federal government, the
U.S. Congress, foreign governments and nongovernmental organizations to better
serve families traveling north to the U.S.
It said
that while little is known about how the forced separation of children and
adults will affect young people, initial reports from service providers
“indicate that families are experiencing symptoms of trauma, including
separation anxiety.”
It also suggested
alternatives to detention for asylum-seeking families, especially those who
pose no threat to the country.
“Such
alternatives are often preferable as they avoid inflicting unnecessary and
long-lasting trauma on children and families. Additionally, detaining families
that do not present a flight or safety risk is an unnecessary use of limited
(Department of Homeland Security) resources,” the report said.
Leaders of
both organizations welcomed the report.
“I am
proud of the response of USCCB/MRS, LIRS and our Catholic and Lutheran partners
around country, including my brother bishops, to be able to work with the
administration to provide support to those vulnerable families,” Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin,
Texas, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, said in a
statement accompanying the Oct. 17 release of the report.
“I
believe the recommendations made are important and should be seriously
considered in order to avoid pain and suffering in the future caused by the
separation of families,” he said.
In a
separate statement, Kay Bellor,
vice president of programs for LIRS, praised the agencies for stepping
up quickly to aid families.
“As we
have been for decades, communities of faith were there, poised and ready, to
love and serve our neighbors in need,” Bellor said. “It is our deep
hope that the lessons learned from this time in our history will prevent the
cruel separation of children from their parents from happening again.”
As of Sept.
27, nearly 2,300 families had been reunited, according to the report. Some of
the reunited families remained in detention facilities, some were reunited in
their countries of origin, and some were released to allow them to travel to
families and friends throughout the U.S.
The report
showed that the flow of immigrants from Mexico had eased, but that refugees
from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador shot upward in 2017 and 2018. It cited
the growing violence from criminal gang and illegal drug networks in the three
countries as reasons cited by immigrants for seeking to enter the U.S.
MRS and
LIRS also called for:
— Better
coordination and data collection on immigrants throughout the government to
allow for improved tracking of family reunification.
— The
release of families during “normal but extended business hours” from
6 a.m. to 8 p.m. to allow families to be safely transported.
— Reinstating
family case management that had been discontinued in 2017 after just 18 months
of operation in what originally was a five-year pilot program.
— Improved
training for care providers.
— Expanding
programs that address the causes of migration.
— Increased
coordination among aid agencies to better serve separated families.
MRS and
LIRS also encouraged the U.S. government to “commit to immigration
policies that are humane and uphold each individual’s human dignity. Such
policies should also ensure compliance with immigration requirements and be
fair to the U.S. taxpayer.”
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Editor’s Note: The full report can be accessed online at www.justiceforimmigrants.org.
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