Washington, DC — The ongoing anti-immigrant, mass deportation crusade of this administration is inflicting lasting damage on our economy, our communities, and our families. Too often, children are bearing the brunt of the damage.
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“Mass deportation inflicts long term damage to children. This is one of the most disturbing outcomes of the anti-immigrant campaign being waged by Stephen Miller and Donald Trump. The same week the Supreme Court heard a case over birthright citizenship, our government is again taking aim at 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his family and Kaleth, a two year old boy who is ill and was detained in the notorious Dilley detention facility in Texas, only released after he stopped eating for 12 days. Little wonder that Americans are recoiling from watching mass deportation in action – the harms to children encapsulate so much of the cruelty and fear that is being willfully inflicted. As a nation, we are better than this.”
Recall that ProPublica recently reported that during just the first 7 months of the Trump administration, they detained the parents of more than 11,000 U.S. citizen children and that the number of children in ICE detention has skyrocketed under Trump’s second term and is around 170 children on an average day. But the stories below – of Liam and Kaleth – offer a reminder of the real children and lives behind the statistics.
- CBS News: “Federal government appealing order releasing 5-year-old from immigration custody,“ highlighting that “The federal government may try to send 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos back to detention. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Wednesday in federal court in Texas, challenging a January ruling that freed the 5-year-old Minnesota resident and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, from an immigration detention facility. The father and son were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a crackdown in the Minneapolis area earlier this year, drawing nationwide attention. The filing, obtained by CBS News, takes the fight to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. If the government succeeds, the two could find themselves back in detention. ‘The first time they came for us it was unjust. The second time they came for us is unjust. We are not giving into their fear,’ Adrian Conejo Arias told CBS News through his attorney, Danielle Molliver. He also sent a message of gratitude to people around the world who have advocated on their behalf, saying, ‘Thank you to all those who continue to support and love us.'”
- The Guardian: “Two-year-old held by ICE sick and not getting adequate care, Democrat warns.” Earlier this week, the story broke that, “A two-year-old detained in a family detention center in Dilley, Texas, is sick and not getting adequate help,” said Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman from San Antonio. The boy, Kaleth, has a fever and is not eating the food served at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, which Castro said detainees have complained of having mold and worms.” Thankfully, Kaleth and his mother were finally released after public outcry and attention.
Additional Resources
- Watch a clip from our content creator briefing with Rep. Espaillat speaking on how Trump’s immigration agenda is putting kids at risk: HERE
- Read Maribel Hastings’ weekly column in English and Spanish: “Ending citizenship by birth is a direct assault on children’s rights and future”
- Read the America’s Voice Substack post from Gabe Ortiz, “American Kids Want You To Know Mass Deportation Is Traumatizing Them And Their Friends“
