Hundreds of thousands of children, including US citizen children, are suffering from our immigration enforcement and detention policies. Current policies and practices prevent vulnerable migrant children from accessing protection and result in the needless (and sometimes permanent) separation of children from their parents.

On any given day, an unknown number of children languish in border patrol stations or are unsafely returned to their country of origin even though they are fleeing persecution, violence and neglect. Other children across the United States, the vast majority of them US citizens, are separated from their parents and often placed in foster care because their parents are detained without being given an opportunity to make care arrangements for their children. There have even been cases in which parental rights have been terminated because a detained parent cannot participate in family court proceedings from detention. Such practices strain our social services system, compromise the best interest of children, violate a parent's fundamental right to custody of their children and run counter to our values as a nation.

Join us for an informative discussion of how we can enforce our laws without compromising child welfare and family values and how immigration reform can include critical safeguards to protect children and ensure family unity.

Speakers:

· Encarnación Bail Romero: Missouri mom fighting to regain custody of her two year old son

· Omar Riojas, Esq.: DLA Piper, pro bono counsel to Ms. Bail Romero

· J. Manuel Casas, PhD: American Psychological Association

· David Thronson, Esq.:, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Las Vegas

· Wendy Young, Esq.,: Kids in Need of Defense

Moderated by Michelle Brané of the Women's Refugee Commission

Please RSVP to emilybu@wrcommission.org.