Immigration | Family Separation | Title 42
March for Detained Children
Fort Bliss is no place for kids!
It was April 30th, 2021, Mexico’s Children’s Day — El Dia de las Niñas y Niños, which happened to coincide with the 100th day of the Biden administration. Witness at the Border, together with over 80 national and international sponsors, and in collaboration with local partners — the Hope Border Institute, Border Network for Human Rights, the Coalition to End Child Detention-El Paso, and Every.Last.One — convened at the Paso del Norte Bridge in the borderlands of El Paso, Texas. From there, we marched for six miles and three hours to the gates of Fort Bliss, the largest military base in the United States, which as of this recording was holding nearly 5000 migrant youth.
Caminata speakers shed light on the injustices committed by detaining children — particularly children in trauma, and particularly during a deadly pandemic — an issue that we believe should be on the minds of all Americans.
Episode 2 of Witness Radio: March for Detained Children is an effort to recreate that important day and to spread the word, from the borderlands and beyond, about what is being done to children in all our names.
Join us as we bear witness in the defense of human dignity and the human rights of migrant children and their families.
Help us spread the following message to our leadership, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Xavier Becerra, Jill Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Antony Blinken, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra, Julián Castro, that mega-sites, like military bases and convention centers, are no places for kids. Let Our Children Go!
Speakers in order of appearance:
Rabbi Josh Whinston Temple Beth Emeth
Joshua Rubin Witness at the Border
Veronica Frescas Border Network for Human Rights
Marisa Limon Garza Hope Border Institute
Susana Herrera-Villa Border Network for Human Rights
Dr. Amy Cohen Every. Last. One.
Karina Breceda San Juan Apostol Shelter
Adriana Cadena Border Network for Human Rights
And me, Sarah Towle, Host & Director of Witness Radio
Related Resources:
New York Times
For Migrant Children in Federal Care, a ‘Sense of Desperation’
CBS News
Migrant children describe poor conditions at makeshift U.S. shelters in interviews with attorneys
BBC News
Children tell of neglect, filth and fear in US asylum camps
El Paso Matters
Critics raise concerns over expanding Fort Bliss megasite for migrant children
Witness Radio
Episode 1: Title 42 — The Invisible Border Wall
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