LIRS Family Separation Webinar & Toolkit

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) hosted the webinar Crossing the Line: An Inside Look at the Family Separation Crisis, during which a group of organizations answered questions about family separation and the emotional and physical impact it has on youth and families. (View the webinar here.) LIRS is the only organization in the U.S. that walks alongside migrant youth and families throughout the entire settlement process. Family separation was a shock to families, partly because they were totally unprepared for it: care providers expected that children would stay in their parent’s care and the children are too young to understand why they are being taken away. It is difficult to research children who barely are able to speak and arrive to centers with little to no information attached to them. 

A representative from the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) spoke on what the nonprofit sees from a legal perspective. He noted that most migrants are from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. They are legally considered migrants, not refugees, so they are not given governmental protection that refugee status would afford them. 

An advocate from Grassroots Leadership then described the process mothers go through once they are separated from their children, as they seek alternative ways to support migrant women who have exhausted their legal options. We learned that new rules and implementations have made this process much more difficult; 60 of 160 women at the center have applied for bonds and only four were approved. Mothers only get to see their kids an average of two times during their four-to-six weeks in the center, and most are unable to connect with their children before being relocated.

An attorney from Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) then provided a legislative update. Public outcry over family separation has driven renewed attention by Congress. Both positive and negative bills have been introduced. The main goal of the organization is to find an alternative option to family separation that is not detention. Three bills to look at are the Keep Families Together Act, Protect Families at the Border Act, and CARE Act, which addresses the root cause of emigration from Central America and how the U.S. can help.

Faith voices are encouraged to get involved with migrant neighbors, invite leaders to come to congregations, and sponsor community events. The LIRS Refugee Advocacy Officer encourages people to contact members of Congress, donate to LIRS to support their efforts, and educate friends, family, and neighbors about family separation.

Click here to access the LIRS webinar toolkit and aid families who are being separated at the border.