We’re incredibly grateful to our amazing sponsors for supporting this year’s Waymakers Virtual Mileage Challenge 🤍 Your kindness and support of the Young Center doesn't go unnoticed! THANK YOU 😊

As our Waymakers Virtual Mileage Challenge winds down today, we’re inspired by everyone who walked in solidarity for immigrant children. Your steps have made a meaningful impact, and we deeply appreciate your dedication! #BeAWaymaker

Last 09/18, our staff and board members joined our partners in Washington, D.C. We spent time on the Hill educating congressional staffers about the ongoing separation of immigrant families & harm to children. We also walked & honored their journey to the U.S. as part of our Mileage Challenge.

We joined 23 organizations urging an end to recent ICE and Homeland Security Investigations interviews of unaccompanied children in government custody. Read more 👇

Every child deserves a safe repatriation when returning to their home country. This means a process that protects their rights, ensures their well-being, & involves proper planning, resources & support. This should always be the standard for all children. Read our blog to learn more: bit.ly/42NGFIz

Every child deserves freedom and safety 🤍 Juan and his mother traveled 1,500 miles from El Salvador to find refuge but was turned away at the U.S. Border while his mother was kidnapped in Mexico. Juan continued his journey alone and was later placed into government custody.

Check out episode seven of NAWL’s Bridging Divides series, featuring Kelly Albinak Kribs, Young Center Technical Assistance Program Co-Director, about the organization’s mission and its work supporting immigrant children.

Happening NOW at the National Immigration Summit, Melissa Stek leads the conversation on effective messaging on children and immigrant families! @clasp.org @theyoungcenter.bsky.social @pifcoalition.bsky.social

The National Immigration Summit is happening NOW! Thank you to our panelists for sharing resources and leading the discussion on policies impacting immigrant children and families! #forchildren @wendydcervantes.bsky.social @pifcoalition.bsky.social @theyoungcenter.bsky.social @the-ilrc.bsky.social

DACA has always been lawful. Now, it's facing its biggest threat yet, with DHS ignoring DACA protections and detaining DACA recipients. Our Immigrant Youth Abduction Tracker is exposing the truth: nearly 20 DACA recipients & dozens more immigrant youth are detained. HomeIsHere.us/tracker

"A CLASP study from 2018 found that children as young as 3 experienced behavioral changes–like frequent crying, separation anxiety, and sleep problems–due to the loss of a parent or the fear of losing a parent. www.clasp.org/publications...

A few weeks ago in New York, over 100 people packed a courtroom in a powerful show of solidarity for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). Their presence was a strong reminder that the voices of immigrant youth matter, and their rights are important too 🤍

Our Chief Program Officer Jennifer Nagda will be speaking at the 10 year anniversary of the ABA Children’s Immigration Law Academy on Sept. 23 at 2:00 p.m. as part of a roundtable discussion with experts working with unaccompanied youth. RSVP: americanbar.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Our children deserve to grow up surrounded by the safety and security of their loved ones, never in fear that this basic right could be taken away.

Yesterday, in a critical victory for unaccompanied children, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction halting the removal of Guatemalan children from the U.S.

Cristina reminds us why we take a stand to protect children like her and work to make sure that they are safe and sound. For the full month of September, we are choosing to walk in solidarity with unaccompanied immigrant children through our Waymakers Virtual Mileage Challenge.

“What we are seeing now is a reckless attempt to deport as many people as possible without regard at all to family unity or family relationships...it’s happening in darkness without any...oversight or accountability for what this process means for families," said Efrén Olivares from @nilc.org

Halfway into our Waymakers Mileage Challenge, we’ve walked 6,583 miles out of our 20,000 total. We’ve also managed to raise over $73,000.00. That’s over half of our $100,000.00 goal. Participating in the Waymaker’s Mileage Challenge in person or by giving online allows us to continue our work.

OH MY GOODNESS, FOLKS. We ended the fundraiser at $27,960!! That's an AMAZING AMOUNT OF SUPPORT FOR @theyoungcenter.bsky.social !! Couldn't have done it without the team, the artists, the cast, the crew, and ALL OF YOU. You'll be getting invoices emailed tonight from 32a with instructions! #ywmlp

Nearly $28k raised for @theyoungcenter.bsky.social through art and love and connection! This crew out here making me feel ALL the feels tonight 💜 #YWMLP

...to those who deserve it, like one of the most vulnerable populations: immigrant children trying to safely navigate the US legal system. If you're able, help us help @theyoungcenter.bsky.social do their important work. #YWMLP 🫶 www.32auctions.com/organization...

Ahead of #HispanicHeritageMonth, we're taking an abridged look into the complex realities many of the children we serve come from. This week, we're walking in #Honduras.

Crested pigeon for @lanewcombe.bsky.social ! Thanks for your #Waymakers donation! These pigeons are so cool! To donate & request a bird, see: act.theyoungcenter.org/a/birdsbeyon... All funds support unaccompanied immigrant kids in the US via @theyoungcenter.bsky.social 🎨🪶 #BirdArt #SciArt

Important thread here. The lives of hundreds of Guatemalan children still hangs in the balance. Their case is being presented today at the U.S. District Court in #WashingtonDC 👇

Of course she doesn't. @theyoungcenter.bsky.social has an entire Safe Repatriation Team that works to secure safe conditions for children returning to their home countries. THERE IS ALREADY A PROCESS FOR THIS. What ICE tried to do was NOT that. They endangered children.

THE LAW: In theory, the law is supposed to protect these children from being whisked out of the country by the government at a moment’s notice. A statute, the TVPRA, says unaccompanied children not from Mexico or Canada must be placed in immigration court proceedings & provided access to counsel.

Ok here we go. Judge Kelly is on the bench, and counsel for the children is up first. It's Efren Olivares representing them today. (Audio isn't great so bear with me)

COMING UP: The fate of hundreds of unaccompanied minor children hangs in the balance as a federal judge, Tim Kelly, weighs whether to block their summary removal from the United States. At 2 p.m. ET, Kelly will hear argument on the children’s motion to enjoin their deportation. Follow along ⬇️ 🧵

"...Advocacy groups said that 90% of the children targeted for deportation by the Trump Administration are Indigenous, most members of 22 Mayan cultures and different dialects in Guatemala. Many of the children speak little Spanish and hardly any English." Via @cbs42.bsky.social

I work with immigrant children in the US for my job, and I am so moved by this amazing project and everyone's art and this fandom's care. Please read about the work that @theyoungcenter.bsky.social does and why it's necessary, immigrant kids and families are scared now but also so strong

👣Every child deserves safety and stability 🤍 Carlos traveled 1,400 miles from Honduras seeking refuge but was separated from his brother at the U.S. border. With the support of a Young Center Child Advocate, he was finally reunited with his family.

"Children were shaken from sleep and told to pack their things because the government was returning them to Guatemala in a few hours’ time. " Via @msmagazine.com

"Whether calling it 'authoritarianism' or something else, it's clear we are fighting not just for immigrants, but also for a different vision of America that's now imperiled," said @vcardenas.bsky.social. via @commondreams.org

Thank you!!!

WHAT YOUR ART AND MONEY AND SHARES ARE SUPPORTING: fighting back, like @david-jenkins.bsky.social wants.

HAPPENING IN 10 MINUTES: We'll be joining our partner organizations to discuss the latest updates on the Trump administration's cruel and unlawful attempt to deport hundreds of Guatemalan children on Labor Day weekend. 🔗RSVP ▶️tinyurl.com/midnightdeportations

he Administration’s attempt to deport hundreds of children alone last week, sent a horrible message that children are not a priority. At the Young Center, we reject that message! Protecting immigrant children & advocating for their rights and best interests is the foundation of everything we do.

Estaba durmiendo cuando la despertaron de golpe en medio de la noche. Le dijeron que pusiera en una bolsa sus pertenencias y que se deshiciera del resto porque tenía que volver a Guatemala. ¿Por qué quieren devolverme?, preguntó en voz baja la niña, según Gladys Hernández del Centro Young.

In the dead of night on a holiday weekend, ICE agents took frightened children from their beds and put them on planes bound for Guatemala. Here's how our emergency lawsuit unfolded and what YOU can do to help:

🚨In the middle of the night during Labor Day weekend, the Trump admin. tried to illegally deport unaccompanied kids when they thought no one was watching. Let's be clear: this was never about children's safety or family reunification. This is a cruel attack on children's rights.

Ahead of #HispanicHeritageMonth, we're taking an abridged look into the complex realities many of the children we serve come from. This week, we're walking in #Guatemala. Many families & children are forced to leave due to discrimination, violence, and weather events caused by climate change.

This pack of postcards makes my heart happy. Buy beautiful art and support kids who need our help via @theyoungcenter.bsky.social!! #ywmlp @ofmd-postcards.bsky.social www.32auctions.com/organization...

Thank you so much for setting up this egg-citing fundraiser for immigrant children. We can't stop raven about it. Also, birds! We love them (lot's of birders on staff make for a backed up collection of bird puns waiting for an opportunity to soar).

Thank you for your #Waymakers donation, @piercee.bsky.social ! Here's a cute Black-bellied Whistling Duck in some nasturtiums. 🎨🪶 #BirdArt #SciArt For more info see act.theyoungcenter.org/a/birdsbeyon... All donations go to @theyoungcenter.bsky.social for their hard work supporting immigrant kids!

Every child deserves to be heard. Our Young Center Child Advocates work everyday to make sure children like Cristian, a boy from Guatemala, can have a shot at the future they dream of.

Students belong in the classroom! As students, families, and educators head back to school, we’ve seen an alarming number of immigrant students targeted by ICE for abduction and detention. Everyone has a right to the freedom to learn, and educators are showing up to protect that freedom.

These children's rights must be protected. We need to advocate for their due process and safety.

“The Constitution and federal laws provide robust protections to UC specifically because of the unique risks they face. We are determined to use every legal tool at our disposal to force the admin to respect the law and not send any child to danger.” @nilc.org www.nilc.org/press/nilc-s...

“Some kids sat stunned in silence, while others broke down crying—tears of fear, defeat, and heartbreak.’I’m afraid to return, I don’t want to return,’ one kid said, their crying face buried in their hands. Outside a bus waited to take the kids away.”- Deisy Lee @theyoungcenter.bsky.social

The Young Center's 5th Annual Waymakers Virtual Mileage Challenge has begun 🤍 Join us and run, walk or roll as we walk in solidarity for unnaccompanied immigrant children around the world!