Women's Foundations Statement on Family Separation

Women’s Foundations Statement on Family Separation

June 21, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Women’s Foundations across the U.S. condemn the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy and the continued detention of immigrant families. While the new executive order issued by the Trump Administration will pause the practice of separating immigrant families at the border, ending family separations without ending the “zero tolerance” policy means that women, children and families will continue to be charged criminally, held in inhumane detention facilities and refused refuge in the United States.

This policy is cruel, punitive and unnecessary. And it is a choice. This administration has chosen to target immigrant families of color for traumatic detention and deportation. It has chosen to have zero empathy or compassion for people fleeing violence and seeking safety in the United States. It has chosen to put young children at risk of trauma and harm in detention facilities.

We believe in the right to parent your children in safe communities, without fear of violence from individuals or governments. Immigrant justice is reproductive justice, and immigrant rights are women’s rights.

We call on the Trump administration to make a new choice; to end the “zero tolerance” policy, to end the detention and deportation of immigrant families.

Signed:

Boston Women’s Fund Chester County Fund for Women & Girls

Chicago Foundation for Women

Community Foundation for Greater New Haven

Dallas Women’s Foundation Maine

Women’s Fund New Hampshire Women’s Foundation

New York Women’s Foundation

Shadhika

Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights

Vermont Women’s Fund Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis

Women’s Foundation of California

Women’s Fund of Hawaii

Women’s Funding Network

Women’s Foundation of Colorado

Women’s Fund of Omaha

Global Fund for Women