To no one’s surprise here at Daily Kos, family separations are still happening, and the traitorous administration is trying to skirt their responsibility to reunite the families they’ve already separated. We first became aware of the separation program about a year ago, and were rightly shocked and disturbed by the actions of the depraved employees of Department Homeland Security.
To literally tear children away from their families, AND to hold people in detention camps is a wrong we may never be able to atone for in this country. These actions are so disturbing that they’ve kept me up at night worrying about the physical, emotional, and mental health of the families affected.
Thankfully there are some amazing groups working day and night to help the refugees and asylum seekers fight for justice in court, and travel to their new location with family/friends/sponsors. I like writing about these groups because it helps me feel like I’m taking positive action, and not wallowing in how depressing the situation is.
KIND
Like any good organization, KIND has a Vision and a Mission Statement.
Vision Statement
A world in which children’s rights and well-being are protected as they migrate alone in search of safety.
Mission Statement
KIND will achieve our Vision by:
Ensuring that no child appears in immigration court without high quality legal representation;
Advancing laws, policies, and practices that ensure children’s protection and uphold their right to due process and fundamental fairness; and
Promoting in countries of origin, transit, and destination durable solutions to child migration that are grounded in the best interests of the child and ensure that no child is forced to involuntarily migrate.
What they do:
KIND does it all. They provide legal services to children as they navigate the justice system; they locates and coordinates support services for the children who are here and are in need of a variety of services. They are also doing something I haven’t seen from another group — they are working in Central American countries, and Mexico to provide services to the migrants while they are en route to the U.S., including finding parents who have been deported without their children. That alone is amazing and incredible. Finally, KIND works on public policy and outreach activities.
KIND was founded by Angelina Jolie and Microsoft. Yes, Microsoft the corporation, not just an employee or executive from Microsoft. I was surprised, at one level, to read that, but as much as we all bemoan corporations’ selfish ways, they also do good things. Every company I’ve worked at has done really good things, even if they’re also overpaying their executives, for example. In reading the information on their website, you can understand how they’ve been able to do so much.
How they do it:
KIND partners with law firms, corporations, law schools, and bar associations which agree to represent unaccompanied children referred to KIND. With their support, we are able to help thousands of children in their search for safety.
Again, by looking at their site, the list of colleges/universities, law firms, and corporations is extensive. That happens because Angelina Jolie, is a Special Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. That's a big deal, and she earned that role because of her previous work with refugees. She has the experience and celebrity that gets people to accept meetings with her.
It's kind of the same story with Microsoft; the volunteers from Microsoft already work in broad based professional networks, which makes it easier to solicit volunteers across the country.
By the numbers:
You can find a lot of information on this page celebrating their 10 year anniversary in 2018. But here’s a good summary:
By the end of 2017, KIND had helped over 15,800 children, trained over 24,200 attorneys, and partnered with over 515 law firms, corporations, law schools and bar associations. KIND's success rate in cases we've represented through the duration of proceedings has reached 98%.
With 10 Field Offices across the country, the organization has clearly grown as the number of migrants have increased, and the depraved zero tolerance policy has been instituted.
Let’s not forget why this group, and other groups work so hard to help those in need.