Actions You Can Take

Get Informed

Follow Journalists Who Cover Immigration and Issues That Concern Children – Stay Informed

Start Reading

  • There is no substitute for reading firsthand accounts of migrant children as they tell the story of crossing the border and making a life for themselves in the U.S.
  • We have compiled a list of recently written fiction, nonfiction books and memoirs about immigrant children.
  • Check out our newsletter, where we profile a new book every month

Get Involved

Write Your Elected Officials

  • Writing to your elected representatives, local, state and national, is a way to tell decisionmakers what matters to you and what you think they should do about it. 
  • Find your local, state, and federal elected officials using this tool developed by the American Friends Service Committee.
  • Some tips to keep in mind
    • You can write about anything that moves you. Say what you want to have happen – the action you want the representative to take.
    • A one page letter, single-spaced is the preferred length.

Write News Outlets

  • Write a letter to the editor
    • Write to your favorite news outlet.
    • This tool can help you identify places you might want to write.
    • Some general guidelines to follow for a letter to the editor:
      • Keep the letter to one page.
      • If you’re responding to an article that appeared in the publication, reference it.
      • Speak from the heart.
      • End with a call to action, if you have one.
    • Here are some previously published letters to the editor.
  • Write an op-ed
    • If you feel like a letter to the editor is not enough, why not write an op-ed for your local or national newspaper?
    • Here are some op-eds to use as examples:

Host an Event

  • Start a virtual book club with your friends from places like your social group, place of worship, library, resource center
    • Book clubs are a phenomenal way to share the compelling stories and information in books.
      • To get you started, we compiled a list of books on immigrant children and families in Action #3. 
    • Books and articles are launching pads for community discussions.
  • Host a postcard party to tell your representatives what you think about things happening to immigrant children and what you think they should do to address it.
    • Come prepared with the right materials.
      • You will need stamps, pens, writing prompts, and the addresses of the elected officials you plan to mail your postcards to.
      • Dedicate a few hours to writing postcards and set a date by which you will mail them, so you can hold yourself and your friends accountable.
  • Invite a speaker to your community.
    • The experts at Project Lifeline are available to speak at your event.
      • Executive Director Hope Frye has been an immigration lawyer working with vulnerable populations for over 40 years. She leads Flores Settlement visits into the detention centers where they hold children and has a unique perspective on the policies and practices that affect children in detention.
      • Director of Medical Initiatives Dr. Dona Kim Murphey is a long-time activist who has coordinated care for immigrant children post-release. She is active in actions calling out ICE for illegal practice at family detention centers.
      • Linda Zuba, board member, is a lawyer with extensive experience working with refugees, including working with children in Mexico held under MPP with Al Otro Lado, a legal services organization on the border.
      • Dr. Elena Jimenez Gutierrez, board member, is a physician currently treating patients, including ICE detainees for Covid-19 in a hospital in San Antonio, TX.
      • Chapman Noam, board member, formerly worked with the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law (class counsel for the children covered by the Flores Settlement) and was on the Flores monitoring visit to the El Paso border stations in 2019.

Be An Advocate

Volunteer and Connect With Immigrant Advocacy Organizations

  • If you want to work in state-level advocacy here is a list of advocacy groups by state put together by the Mennonite Central Committee.
  • If you are passionate about action at the border, here is a list of border advocacy groups compiled by the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
  • If you are interested in providing public services for immigrants here is a service organization directory compiled by Informed Immigrant.

Comment on Proposed Regulations

Hold Your Local Government Accountable

  • New American Economy measures immigrant integration through an annual analysis of the 100 largest cities in the country, published as the Cities Index.
    • Find out where your city ranks, and determine what your government can do to make your community a home for immigrants.
  • ProPublica has mapped immigrant children’s shelters nationwide, find out if you live near one.
    • If you do, then do something about it.
  • Block the opening of youth shelters and ICE detention centers in your community.
    • Monitor zoning and permitting applications. 
    • Challenges to requests for permits can successfully block the opening of ORR shelters in your community.
      • If there are plans to build a shelter for unaccompanied children in your community, activate your network!
      • City council meetings are open to the public. Take everyone with you.
      • Get on the agenda and come prepared to say why a detention facility shouldn’t be in your community.