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I write to remind the church of Jesus’s commitment to children and that our welcome and treatment of children, in the words of Jesus, “welcomes me.” I write to disseminate the information I received today from the Council of Bishops on the administration’s new targeting of unaccompanied children (see below).
We will try to follow up with appropriate information, but for now, check on your neighbors. Reach out to family. Watch coming and going from schools. Protect unaccompanied minors who may be targets of racial profiling. Church, please also be in prayer, returning to the Lord’s Prayer, that “your kingdom come, your will be done.”
From the Council of Bishops:
Beginning October 3, ICE will launch an operation reportedly named “Freaky Friday,” targeting unaccompanied children aged 14 and older of all nationalities.
- Children detained and released will be sent a letter from ICE threatening indefinite detention and immediate transfer to ICE upon age-out if they do not waive jurisdiction under the TVPRA and withdraw applications for relief.
- Children will be offered $2,500 to return to their countries of origin.
- If children do not comply with the “offer”, the letter intimates their parents in the US will be arrested.
- ICE plans to detain all children who reach the age of 14 and are ready to be released from detention, and they anticipate legal challenges.
- There are indications that the age threshold for this threat letter may be lowered to 10 years old.
- We understand they plan to first target detained children but will also target children released from custody.
Given this alarming information, we strongly encourage annual conferences and local churches, to the extent possible, to do the following:
- Provide "Know Your Rights" presentations to the families of children in ICE custody advising them of this plan and their right to not sign anything document without consulting their attorney
- Also, consider advising the families of immigrant children out of ICE custody about the possibility of receiving an ICE letter.
- If a child receives a letter, please consider helping them to prepare an affidavit that particularly highlights the manner in which this ICE letter was delivered (was counsel present and able to advise, were youth able to ask questions), evidence of coercion or intimidation, underlying fear of being returned to the country they immigrated from.
- Litigators are coordinating and we will provide more information shortly on who to direct these affidavits to.
- Please report concerns to the HHS Ombudsman office here: UCOO@acf.hhs.gov.
Thank you.
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