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Sunday, October 7, 2012

#ImHere - THE CALL: A choice no mother should face


LEARN

Imagine dropping your child off at school every day afraid that you won't be back at pickup time. Imagine staying with a violent partner because calling the cops could tear you away from your kids. Imagine arranging for a neighbor to take care of your children in case your disappear — which could happen any time.

Tough to imagine? This is reality for millions of immigrant women in the United States.

In June 2012, President Obama announced a historic plan to help make this country safer for over one million young immigrants who have built their lives here. Now it's time to ask: what about their mothers? Cruel U.S. laws deny immigrant women the right to protect themselves and raise safe, healthy families. In the first six months of 2011 alone, the U.S. deported more than 46,000 parents of American-born children. Other families – especially in states such as Arizona and Alabama — live in fear of these threats, rarely leaving home at all.

Many women are also forced to choose between the threat of an abusive husband and the risk of being detained or deported if they call the police. Pregnant mothersgive birth in shackles with federal agents by their side. Women and LGBTQ peoplesuffer in immigrant detention centers, often without due process, under the constant danger of physical and sexual abuse.

This is not the America we stand for. But together we can change it. With your help, #ImHere will make the human rights of immigrant women impossible to ignore. Join us and say "#ImHere to put the rights of immigrant women on the national agenda."

Say #ImHere now: Watch and share the short film, "The Call," take a photo, register to vote, and learn more.