Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration (WJCI) in Larchmont will host a countywide zoom event Sunday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. to educate the community about how to advocate and provide critical support to immigrant children impacted by the situation at the southern border.
WJCI is aware that children arriving at the southern border without their parents have presented a political and humanitarian challenge. These numbers began rising considerably after 2009 when 19,418 children were taken into custody at the border. Unaccompanied minors peaked in 2014, with 68,000 apprehensions. Analysts say 2021 is on pace to break that record, with more than 600 children currently arriving daily at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Holly Rosen Fink, president of WJCI, said, “We continue to mobilize the Jewish community to be a strong, persistent, moral voice in support of the fair, humane treatment of asylum seekers as we engage in asylum advocacy in Westchester. We look forward to coming together to create real change on this matter.”
The program “Border Report: Children in Need” will present expert advice and eyewitness testimony from five key leaders about providing humanitarian assistance to children at the border. Speakers will include Rabbi Shoshi Levin Goldberg from Temple Israel Center, Andrea Rudnick from Team Brownsville, Eddie Chavez Calderon from Arizona Jews for Justice, Bertha M. Rodriguez, from Community Resource Center (CRC), and Marti Michael from Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden.
Community Resource Center, based in Mamaroneck, provides legal representation, advocacy and court services in Westchester County Immigration and Family Courts for immigrant children seeking asylum because of severely traumatic personal experiences in their home countries.
All community members are welcome to the program and can register at https://bit.ly/3v163Y2
