{Photo by John Moore.}
Do you feel exhausted? I feel exhausted.
Not from the long days at the office, the early wake-up calls on gym day, or the weekends that fly by way too fast for my liking, but rather all the news – bad news – lately.
It’s not enough that Trump decides to meet with Kim Jong Un (and brags about it, although at this point, he hasn’t exactly accomplished anything), or that he makes up news (no, Germany’s crime rate is not up because of migrants), but now we’re separating kids – babies! – from their mothers and fathers on the Southern border. Under the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy, we’re ripping families apart that cross the border to seek asylum. (FYI: there is no other legal way to seek asylum other than being physically present in the United States.) What the eff is wrong with this administration?
I am sorry. I don’t have kids, I can’t possibly know what it’s like to be separated from my own flesh and blood, but I do have a functioning moral compass and it screams that “this is wrong on so many levels”. Can you imagine your baby being ripped out of your arms and taken away?
I was a very shy, very attached child and I can only imagine what it would have done to me to be forcibly removed from the arms of my parents. It would have been extraordinarily traumatic.
It IS traumatic for the thousands of children that have been taken away from their families. And the most cruel thing is the misleading and uncertainty both the children and parents are subjected to. Not knowing when – or if – you’ll be reunited with your family will do a number on you. Inevitably.
Dan Pfeiffer, former Senior Strategy and Communications adviser to President Obama and host of the podcast “Pod Save America”, said “sad tweets are the new thoughts and prayers”. I couldn’t agree more. He was referring to members of Congress (mostly GOP), who continue to send sad tweets but aren’t doing anything to keep ‘check and balances’ on the Trump administration.
SAD TWEETS ARE NOT CHECKS OR BALANCES https://t.co/lPyDK379EH
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 10, 2018
THIS would be (one of) the (many) time(s) to speak up and not be complacent in this madness.
I feel (angry and sad and anxious and) helpless on so many levels, but there is stuff we can do and I hope you will join me.
WHAT WE CAN DO:
1. CONTACT YOUR CONGRESS MEMBERS.
If you need to find out who your senators and representatives are, and how to contact them, find the information here.
You can call – use the script below – or you can also use Resist.bot (I’ve been using it for multiple actions in the past. It’s super-convenient and takes less than 5 minutes.).
Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and my zip code is [YOUR ZIP]. I’m urging the Senator/Representative [NAME] to denounce Trump’s family separation policy and use all of Congress’ authority to stop it immediately. This is very important to me, and I will be keeping it in mind when I vote in November. Thank you.
2. DONATE MONEY.
This really is an easy thing you can do, if you have some spare change, that will go a long way and there are many, many places to which you can donate. J and I have gotten into the habit of frequently donating to the ACLU.
More specifically to the immigration issue you can support The Florence Project, an Arizona organization that offers free legal services to families in immigration custody, RAICES, is the largest immigration nonprofit in Texas offering free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children and families, and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project. A ‘catch-all’ is ActBlue, which divides your contribution evenly between 14 organizations (including the ACLU and some others that were mentioned above) and works to protect migrant children from being separated from their families at the border.
3. PROTEST.
Families Belong Together is coordinating protests around the country. To find marches near you, search your zip code here. Indivisible is a great resource with local chapters as well.
4. VOLUNTEER.
If you speak Spanish, Mam, Q’eqchi’ or K’iche’ and have paralegal experience, the Texas Civil Rights Project, The Florence Project and RAICES are looking for volunteers. You can also get involved locally. Look up immigration-related organizations near you by entering your zip code and see if they are looking for volunteers.
5. MAKE IT HARDER FOR ICE* AND ORR** to disrupt these families by hitting the companies they contract with.
Sleeping Giants has been on the trail of these companies and a friend of a friend has created a spreadsheet of all the companies that are contracting with ICE or involved in some way. Email addresses, twitter handles and scripts are included for each, making your job of copying & pasting easy! This list will be updated when possible, so check back for new entrants, too. (Via my friend Nilsa.)
6. VOTE.
If you’re not registered to vote, register TODAY. Primaries, midterms, elections 2020 – make sure your voice is heard. Now, especially NOW, is not the time to be complacent.
No matter what your politics are, separating families is inhumane and simply unacceptable. Please don’t look away but stand up to this nonsense.
Tanja
June 20, 2018 at 7:58 amWell said – this sh*t is just sooo wrong!
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:19 pmSo very wrong.
Beth
June 20, 2018 at 9:05 amI’m with you, this is too much. It needs to end. I can’t take anymore.
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:19 pmI really hope that this situation is solved in a satisfactory way.
Eva
June 20, 2018 at 11:32 amThank you for this. I am so outraged and sad, I’m speechless.
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:20 pmI am with you. Speechless.
Megan @ Meg Go Run
June 20, 2018 at 1:30 pmI have cried about this. I have screamed. Our country is being run by the most evil pieces of shit I’ve ever seen in my life. I am SO. FUCKING. PISSED. I vote, I donate, I call my reps.
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:20 pmYou go girl.
ShootingStarsMag
June 20, 2018 at 6:53 pmThis is so messed up. I know if I was one of these children, I’d never be the same after being torn away from my family. I heard today that Trump is stopping the separation of families, but we’ll see what happens – and what about those already separated? Will they get help being reunited? And it’s not going to take away the emotional torture they went through. And like you said, you have to be IN the U.S. to get asylum, so what do people expect these families to do? I just…I can’t even sometimes. I plan to donate as soon as I can to a variety of charities, etc. I did use ResistBot to contact a couple of my representatives and I plan on continuing to do so. Thanks for sharing this.
-Lauren
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:20 pmI was happy to hear that families are no longer separated(apparently), but I still don’t think they have a good process in place to reunite the other families and give them due process in court.
Maribeth
June 21, 2018 at 5:35 amI also just cannot take it anymore. AT times I isolate myself, to get away from all the news. I pray and pray and hope God will help these children. Politicians, all of them, are very bad people. I think we need to send them all home and get some new real people in office! But power corrupts!
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:21 pmIt’s really hard to take in the news every day. I think it’s good to take a break every once in a while.
Trish@ Thetrishlist
June 21, 2018 at 6:02 amThis has been a horrible week for news. I can’t stand it anymore. It makes me want to never turn on my tv, listen to the radio, or be online. But I know that is not the answer. We cant pretend like these things aren’t happening. I am so over politicians and their evil agenda. Ugh!
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:21 pmI know, I want to turn it all off… but we have to stay engaged!
Ana
June 21, 2018 at 9:30 amI have been so tired of this president, before he even took office!!
You have a very eloquent way to writing about this, I know i would trip over my own words and emotions just trying to put sentences together about how I feel about this horrible circumstances.
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:22 pmOh god, I was tired of this man long before he took office, too. I once said that I don’t really hate anything or anybody, but I think I have to make an exception for Trump. He brings out the worst in me.
TObia| craftaliciousme
June 21, 2018 at 1:19 pmAnd here we are calling ourselves the most advanced species on the planet. It’s just so crazy. I am sitting here can’t believing what humanity is becoming. It’s so grotesque.
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:22 pmIt’s really hard to watch, isn’t it?
Marie
June 22, 2018 at 5:41 amThanks for posting this. I’m infuriated and heartbroken and wish I could do more. I donate regularly to the ACLU because they do such awesome work. And both my reps in the Senate are Democrats and the one in the House is also a Democrat so you know how they regularly vote. Even our local police force where we live is not fully cooperating with ICE to hand over any immigrants. (I live in a very blue part of VA.) I almost want to fly down there and start protesting at the centers where they are keeping all these children. This is in complete violation of human rights. And at some point, the US must be held accountable for what it is doing along with those in charge.
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:23 pmI know you’re just as outraged as I am (if not more!) and I know you’re always advocating and doing what you can. I appreciate that about you. <3
Lisa of lisas yaRnS
June 22, 2018 at 7:02 amI’m so embarrassed by our country and it’s leaders. One minute he’s insulting the PM of Canada and praising the most whacko leader out there. Then he’s placing the blame on other administrations and Democrats for a policy he put into place. And then he changes his tune about child separation and tries to pretend he is the hero. I just really hope mid term elections go well this fall. We need a serious shake up in Washington (not that it will impact Trump but hopefully he will get voted out in 2020).
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:24 pmI am embarrassed too. It’s hard to watch what’s been happening in this country in the last two years…. but I really hope and believe that change is on the way.
Stephany
June 22, 2018 at 5:51 pmIt’s very privileged of me, I know, but once more news about these children being ripped away from their parents came to light, I had to step away from all news. It just broke my damn heart so much, and I can’t believe this is what we’ve been reduced to in this country. How can anyone be ok with this? Why is nobody keeping Trump in check?
san
June 26, 2018 at 5:24 pmI totally get it, friend. It’s just too much sometimes. And I have been asking this question since Trump got inaugurated: why is there no authority that keeps Trump in check?