How to help families and children at the border: Volunteer, donate, speak out
After traveling from California to El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday to protest the detention of immigrant children in border facilities – and the substandard conditions in the facilities – a group of people set out to donate goods to the families living in these conditions.
"The idea of children unbathed with dirty underwear, toddlers without clean diapers, was just absolutely mortifying to me," said Jennifer Lang, an obstetrician-gynecologist who was part of the group. The group had items like diapers, wipes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and sanitary napkins.
At least seven children in federal custody have died, resulting in an overhaul of policies created by the Trump administration. Still, conditions remain dire for families in U.S. custody, including overcrowding, unclean water and insufficient food.
“The overwhelming majority of children are asylum seekers,” said Elora Mukherjee, a New York-based immigration attorney who interviewed children detainees last week. “They are already fleeing from the worst trauma we can imagine. To be detained in conditions like this compounds the trauma.”
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Upon arrival at a Border Patrol facility, the group was turned away. Authorities told group organizer Julie Lythcott-Haims they could not accept donated items. They plan to take their donation to Annunciation House, a local nonprofit that has organized temporary shelter for immigrants.
There are plenty of ways to help aid families and individuals at the border, including donating funds, volunteering time and advocating in person or on social media.
Donating funds (and, sometimes, goods)
Even if Border Patrol facilities refuse to take goods to the border, there are organizations – including Annunciation House and Arizona-based faith nonprofit Gathering Humanity – that do take goods for people who are sheltered with them.
That said, funds are easier to donate – and provide a drastically more substantial impact for organizations. Annunciation House specifically states on its website that funds are more valuable than item donations.
"This allows us to buy exactly what we need and respond in real time to the changing needs of our guests," the organization writes on its website. "It also lightens the work and cost of sorting, transporting, and storing donated goods."
One of the quickest ways to aid families separated at the border is to pay off their bonds, says Freedom for Immigrants – an organization that offers case management support to families at the border. Bonds can range from $1,500 to $250,000, according to the organization's website. Organizations such as Freedom for Immigrants and RAICES collect funds for bail, and sometimes, as in the case with an Iowa organization, can negotiate bond costs down.
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If you are looking to donate items rather than money, some organizations – like Las Americas – accept in-kind donations of office supplies.
Volunteer your time and services
Facilities along the border are being met with an overwhelming number of refugees being sent away by ICE and Border Patrol. A statistic by Annunciation House from February states that more than 400 refugees a day are being sent to them.
Organizations such as Annunciation House look for long-term and community volunteers who can assist in aiding migrants for extended periods of time.
Faith-based groups such as Gathering Humanity and Casa Alitas, both based in Arizona, also are in regular need of volunteers to help assist in tasks like stocking warehouses, staffing shelters and preparing meals.
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Specialized volunteers are also in significant demand. Medical volunteers are needed in places such as Las Cruces, New Mexico and San Diego – as migrants need medical care. Legal experts, such as pro bono lawyers, are also valuable to organizations such as the Texas Civil Rights Project, Las Americas and Kids In Need of Defense, which provides legal support to detained families and children.
Speaking out – online or in person
It requires relatively little effort compared to the previous suggestions, but spreading the word makes a considerable impact for migrants at the border.
Plenty of organizations, such as Las Americas, advise contacting local representatives and voicing concerns regarding the crisis at the border.
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And it's not just speaking out to elected officials. Informed Immigrant and United We Dream have one-sheets and red cards that offer clear, simple instructions for individuals who have been detained and how families can help. Circulating these resources around are invaluable.
Organizations such as United We Dream and Families Belong Together also offer social media resources that are easily to recirculate online and help spread the word with ease.
Contributing: Lauren Courcy Villagran, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to help families and children at the border: Volunteer, donate, speak out
