IMMIGRATION AND FAMILY SEPARATION AT THE BORDER: CONCRETE ACTIONS

This week, Rural Coalition, the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Trade Association and our members joined dozens of other organizations in opposing Speaker Paul Ryan’s bill, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act. As the sign-on letter states, the act “guts our asylum laws, waives laws that protect communities within 100 miles of the borders and wastes $23 billion taxpayer dollars to build a wall and militarize border communities.”

We at the Rural Coalition affirm that this bill is not only unjust, but would inflict further damage upon the immigrant children and families it targets. We urge RC members to call their Representative to oppose this bill.

The House vote on this legislation will take place tomorrow, June 22. (The House Farm Bill is also up for for a vote this week, see our blog here on why to urge your Representative to oppose that bill, HR-2, as well)

Rural Coalition also condemns the President’s Executive Order to Detain Families Together; while separating children from their parents is inhumane, justice for immigrant families does not mean detaining full families together. This Executive Order is no more humane than the preexisting procedures. Families belong together and free.

What’s next? Green Latinos composed a comprehensive list of concrete actions you can take to oppose family separation at the border and demand full justice for immigrant communities, which we share here for your information and action.


CALL CONGRESS TODAY:

Weigh in with Members of Congress today!

Encourage your network/membership to urge their Members of Congress to use Congress’ oversight authority to stop separating families and to VOTE DOWN the two anti-immigrant bills moving through the House this week. The House is expected to vote on two anti-immigrant bills on Thursday, June 21st: one proposed by Rep. Goodlatte and another proposed by Speaker Ryan. Neither bill addresses the administration’s policy of separating families, and neither bill fixes the administration’s decision to end DACA.

1. Urge them to Vote NO on the two anti-immigrant bills: Please ramp up outreach to your Representative ASAP via calls, digital engagement, in-district meetings, and lobbying in DC to dissuade Republicans from voting for the both bills. It is especially important to defeat the Ryan bill and ensure no Democrat votes for it. Please pass these action recommendations on to members of your organizations ASAP and speak out publicly against the Ryan bill and Goodlatte bill.

(Breaking NEWS – The Goodlatte Bill failed on Thursday June 21 on a vote of 193-231 – see how your Representative Voted Here:)

2. In advance of the vote.

a. United We Dream’s call tool opposing both the Goodlatte bill and Ryan bill: 844-505-3769 directs calls to target House moderates; when folks call the line, they will hear a recording directing them on asks.

On family separation: The ACLU has a call tool specifically for Senators; the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has a call tool that directs calls, tweets, facebook posts, and emails to all Members of Congress.

a. Ask MoCs to urge the administration to end the policy of forcibly separating families, particularly by weighing in on social media.
b. Ask MoCs to also push for President Trump, DHS Secretary Nielsen, and Attorney General Sessions to end the practice of separating and jailing families via letters, appropriations requirements, and Congressional hearings.
c. Ask MoCs to cosponsor family separation legislation and take other actions listed in the Hill briefing document developed by the Immigration Hub and the Women’s Refugee Commission.
 

MASS MOBILIZATIONS:

• Thursday, 6/21: Faith mission to the Ursula processing center in TX, led by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Please email Jordyn Bussey at bussey@civilrights.org to join the delegation of rabbis, ministers, bishops, and other faith leaders who will be ministering to children and holding a vigil outside of Ursula.

• Keep Families Together Rally in Washington, DC outside of Department of Homeland Security from 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET (4401 Massachusetts Avenue NW). Moms and families are holding a rally EVERY FRIDAY until the separation of families at the border ends. Contact Tricia Duncan with questions: triduncan05@gmail.com, (202) 288-5498.

• Saturday, 6/23: Families Belong Together March in San Diego, CA, led by San Diego Indivisible. See additional details on Facebook.

• Sunday, 6/24: Mass Action in Tornillo, TX, led by Voto Latino. Visit www.stopseparation.org to sign up and learn more.

• Thursday, 6/24: Mass mobilization at the Brownsville Federal Court in TX, led by the ACLU. Join the #FamiliesBelongTogether rally in Linear Park at 11 a.m. RSVP here or on Facebook and contact Natalie Montelongo at nmontelongo@aclu.org with questions.

• Saturday, 6/30: Join the Families Belong Together march and rally led by MoveOn and others in Washington D.C. Similar actions actions will be planned across the country.

• Date TBD (Possibly 7/1) – Moms march from El Paso to Tornillo, TX, – Check back for more details and to join.

SPREAD THE WORD

Continue speaking out on social media to raise awareness about the administration’s cruel policy. Keep tweeting at @realDonaldTrump and @SecNielsen to stop forcibly separating families. We Belong Together’s demands for the Administration can be RT’d here. Ask the administration: what are its plans to reunify the families it has torn apart?

Thank you for all that you’re doing to keep families together and free!