BACKGROUND: On Friday June 1st, the ACLU organized rallies all over the nation under the banner of “Families Belong Together.” The rallies were a response to an official policy that had been in effect for months before it was announced, of the Trump administration separating undocumented children from their parents in deportation proceedings or being held in detention. The ACLU and other civil rights organizations have cited serious concerns about the mental health impacts of family separation on those affected, but especially on undocumented children who could suffer life-long scars from the trauma of government-enforced separation.
Our field correspondent Nic Cha Kim attended the Los Angeles “Keep Families Together” rally on Friday June 1st in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office (ICE) in downtown LA and brings you this special report as part of our on-going series, Rising Up in the Streets.