Continued Impact: Search for Separated Families and Availability of Mental Health Services
Ms. L Steering Committee Searching for Separated Families Not Yet Contacted
As has been reported in the news, an NGO-led steering committee charged by the court in Ms. L v. ICE to locate parents separated from children has not yet located parents of over 600 children. These families largely come from the “expanded” class in the case and were separated beginning in 2017 and into early 2018. Most were separated prior to the group of Zero Tolerance families, and were previously unknown to the public. Parents of approximately 330 children are believed to be in the U.S. and parents of around 280 children were deported and may still be in countries of origin.
Attorneys and families may call into a dedicated 1-800 number that has been set up and leave a message to connect with the committee, to confirm whether the family is on the list of parents not yet contacted by the committee. The organizations involved in this effort—Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the Women’s Refugee Commission, Justice in Motion, and the law firm Paul Weiss—greatly appreciate your support in locating these families and confirming their reunification status. Some parents deported to country of origin may be eligible for return to the U.S. under the Ms. L lawsuit. The committee may also be able to help separated families connect with other services.
Confirming the status of these families now will also lay the groundwork for coordinated outreach should the Biden administration or Congress offer a broader remedy for separated families. For general inquiries, attorneys can reach out to KIND’s Christie Turner-Herbas at cturner@supportkind.org.
The free phone numbers separated parents and families can call are:
United States (Toll-Free): 1-888-582-2853
Honduras (Toll-Free): 800 2791 9210
Guatemala (Toll-Free): 2375 0592
El Salvador (Toll-Free): 2136 8300
Mexico (Toll-Free): 800 269 1316
Other: +1 646-478-1535
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Todo Por Mi Familia: Mental Health Services for Reunified Families
Pursuant to a federal court order in Ms. J.P. v. Barr, Seneca Family of Agencies launched Todo Por Mi Familia, a nationwide initiative to locate families impacted by the Government's Zero Tolerance Policy and connect them with free mental health services. Seneca connects interested families with local community-based organizations that provide culturally sensitive mental health services in the families' preferred language. All information is kept confidential, and Seneca does not reveal any personal information of families to the court or Government.
For more information, families or attorneys may call our confidential hotline seven days a week at 844-529-3327 or email info@todopormifamilia.org.
