We as a community must stand up for children.
All children need to feel secure and safe within a loving family. Separating children from their parents, failing to reunite children with their families, and holding families indefinitely in detention is cruel and inhumane. These actions undeniably cause traumatic and irreparable harm to children. Long term, such toxic stress can impact children’s brain development, physical and mental health, and well-being for the rest of their lives.
So many of us have seen or heard recordings of the children’s inconsolable cries in detention centers and have been moved to compassion.
Stand for these children who need us to be aware of the violence and poverty that is propelling these children and families to our borders, cognizant of the vulnerabilities of these children, attentive to the impact of their displacement on every aspect of their lives, and
mindful of the obligations we as a community have to protect these children.
Together we must call on our leaders to reunify children with their families immediately, prevent the indefinite detention of families, and
recognize and fulfill the special needs and rights of these vulnerable children.
Please join us in standing up for children. Call our President and your legislators to let them know you stand for children.
Betsy Dobbins, Executive Director
Abby Steele
ACLU of Florida
Adam de la Torre
Adriana Cantville
Ana Alvarez
Ann Harwood-Nuss
Asad Tolaymat
Ayesha Mirza
Barbara McTiernan
Bashyam Iyengar
Bianca Pinto
Billie Goldstein
Bonnie Foster
Chanda Jones
Charles Ward
Charles Young
Cheryl Barnett
Christine Thorogood
Colleen Timmons
Dave Childers
Dennis Stone
Ebony Payne-English
Elisa Zenni
Elizabeth Simpson
Elizabeth Webb
Ericka Curran
Emmanuel Pena
Florida Legal Services
Florida’s Children First
Hugh Greene
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jeanne Ward
Jeff Goldhagen
Jeff Winer
Jim Kirk
Joanne Carlson
Josef Cortez
Jose Irazuzta
Kate Aschenbrenner Rodriguez
Kathy Puzone
Kelly Komatz
Kerrie Slattery
Lynne Evoy
Madeline Joseph
Mark Hudak
Mark Hincapie
Matthew Garber
Megan Fogarty
Meng Li
Michael Steele
Mikah Owen
Nancy Edwards
Patrice Austin
Patricia Stanford
Randell Alexander
Randy Bryant
RayKay Santa
Rita Nathawad
Ryan Cantville
Rob Mason
Rohan Dial
Sallyn Pajcic
Shelly Thompson
Simone Chriss
Solange Benjamin-Thorpe
Susan Greene
Tamara Gray
The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic
Thomas Chiu
Vicki Waytowich
William Fogarty