As a nonprofit leader and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, I am deeply concerned about the well-being of children in immigrant families. In Chicago alone, one in three children has at least one immigrant parent. These children are our neighbors, classmates, and future leaders. Yet, they could face the unimaginable at any moment: sudden separation from their parents due to detention or deportation.
According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 5.5 million U.S.-born children live in households with at least one undocumented parent. Nearly two million of them are under the age of six. This means that toddlers and kindergartners (just barely learning their ABCs) are at real risk of being placed in foster care if their parents are taken away without warning. Imagine the fear of a child being left behind, not knowing who will pick them up from school or tuck them in at night.
Current policy exacerbates this danger. Parents who are detained often have no time to arrange care for their children. Without preparation, the state steps in. Families that should be kept together are torn apart. The need for family preparedness could not be more urgent.
That’s why we launched the Protege a tus Niños initiative. Our mission is simple: to provide immigrant parents with the tools necessary to legally protect their children in case of separation. One of the most powerful steps is also one of the simplest. We teach parents to write the name of a trusted adult inside their child’s shoes and provide legal documentation to back it up. This small act ensures that if the worst happens, a child will be quickly connected to a loved one rather than being swept into the foster care system.
This back-to-school season, we’ve relaunched a campaign offering practical, mobile-friendly resources in Spanish on ProtegeATusNinos.org and in English through KeepYourKids.org. Families can access step-by-step guidance to delegate parental authority. Our goal is to empower parents with simple, legally sound options so they can rest easier knowing their children won’t be left unprotected. The information is state-specific, and we have also included a list of organizations that help our community.
But we can’t do this alone. Spreading the word is critical. The immigrant community is diverse and resilient, yet many parents remain unaware of their options. All too often, fear or a lack of access to information prevents them from taking these vital steps. That’s where you come in.
If you’re reading this, you have the power to make a difference. Share these resources with your networks. Download information and share it with your local school or church. Post the links on your social media. Encourage parents in your community to have a family plan and to talk to their children about it. Your small actions can have life-changing consequences for a child.
Patricia Frausto-Rodriguez, Executive Director of World Voices Media, has over 30 years of experience advancing advocacy, education, and healthcare for Latinx communities in the U.S. and Mexico. A daughter of Mexican immigrants, she is dedicated to language and education access and builds coalitions to help underrepresented communities thrive. World Voices Media leverages traditional, digital and social media and alliances with community-based organizations to achieve positive social impacts in the fields of human rights, community engagement, health and sustainable environments.
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