“Some of the most important stories are hardest to see. Immigration detention has become a black box; information doesn’t get out, and accountability doesn’t get in. It’s our job to let in the light.”
– Dr. Zain Lakhani, Director, Migrant Rights and Justice program
I’m excited to share a new video with you, created to highlight the vital work and significant impact of WRC’s Migrant Rights and Justice program. It shows how WRC uncovers what is happening behind the closed doors of US immigration enforcement, gathering data and firsthand stories about pregnant women in detention and family separation, and using that information to drive accountability and change.
WRC has a long history of intervening in the most urgent problems impacting immigrant women and families. In the first Trump administration, our work was instrumental in helping to end the policy of family separation at the border and protecting migrant women in immigration custody. Today, we are once again on the frontlines of response, working to uncover and respond to a new family separation crisis, protecting pregnant and nursing women in immigration custody, and providing policy makers with concrete evidence and tools to protect immigrant women and their children.
Here’s how we have made a tangible impact:
- We worked with Congress to obtain the first and only data on pregnant women in immigration detention.
- We built the first and only nationwide tracking tool to collect direct evidence on pregnant women in immigration custody.
- Our direct reporting from reception centers across Mexico and Central America sparked a national conversation about family separation, with more than 100 media mentions across the political divide.
- We helped draft and support legislation like the HELP Separated Children Act, to protect parents and children from separation.
Now is the time to take action to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our society are protected. I’m driven to do this work not only out of a sense of justice, but also out of the conviction that together, we can create meaningful change. Please watch and share the video to learn what we’ve done so far.
Thank you for standing with us, and with displaced women and families at home and around the world.