Take Action to Protect Due Process Rights of Unaccompanied Children: Right now, Congress is debating the President’s emergency supplemental funding request to address the humanitarian crisis involving migrant children at the southern border of the United States. There is concern that the process to pass this supplemental funding, which is sorely needed, will include unacceptable proposals to weaken the due process protections for these Central American children that was created as part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. These proposals trade the safety of children for expediency. It would be a round-‘em up and ship-‘em back approach, as Senator Harkin said in opposition to such an approach. Please take 3 minutes today to call your Senators and ask them to protect these children. Subjecting Central American children to the failed Mexican screening process would be a retreat from Americas commitment as a humanitarian leader and undermine our American values of putting children first and protecting them from harm. Call the Congressional Switchboard: 202.224.3121. You can use the sample script if you are not sure what to say. Hi, my name is _________ from [City, State]. I am calling to urge Senator ________ to strongly oppose any rollbacks to protections for Central American unaccompanied children as Congress considers the President’s supplemental funding request. The protections included in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which passed with bipartisan support and was signed by President Bush, ensures the physical safety of unaccompanied children and the proper screening for humanitarian protection and must not be weakened. Unaccompanied children fleeing violence should not be returned to unsafe situations, but must be protected and cared for humanely, while assured due process. As your constituent, I expect you to stand firm against any proposal that would sacrifice a childs safety for expediency. The U.S. must instead find ways to reduce the violence these children face in their home countries and ensure that children who arrive to the U.S. have access to the legal counsel and services they need.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 20:07:12 +0000
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