We protect us.
There is no them, only us.
Voices of the Children is my love letter to the best of us—the children. It is born from the grief and frustration of those of us who have dedicated our lives to the care and protection of children as we witness their voices silenced and their lives threatened daily.
I have been a pediatrician for over 20 years. The majority of my work has been working with Black and brown low-income & immigrant families in the US and globally in low-income countries. This has become a time where we can’t choose to speak. We have no choice and our silence will not protect us.
These pieces are for the children—a place to advocate for them and tell their stories. Thank you for reading and honoring the lives of children as you do so.
Please feel free to become a paying subscriber, a portion of the proceeds will go towards a nonprofit project that I am creating to help children use their writing and art as activism and advocacy for child justice issues.
The attack on Black & brown people in the US has begun with immigrant children & families but it will not end there. Our actions should not be determined by whether we are affected; we must remember there is no "them," only "us."
✅ There are also great resources for families who may be affected. I want to share the resources from the We Have Rights campaign:
and Make the Road’s "Know Your Rights" Info Sheets: https://maketheroadny.org/we-protect-us/
✅ For many of us in healthcare and education, we must be on alert. Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has rescinded the “protected areas” policy memo upheld during Biden's administration , which restricted immigration enforcement actions in or near protected areas, including healthcare facilities, schools, playgrounds, childcare centers, places of worship, and domestic violence shelters, among others.
However, we still do not have to cooperate with these officials nor provide them with information that endangers the families we care for without a judge-signed warrant.
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/01/21/statement-dhs-spokesperson-directives-expanding-law-enforcement-and-ending-abuse
✅ I also want to highlight the National Immigration Law Center, who quickly compiled this analysis of the Day One executive orders, including the inhumane assault on birthright citizenship. I am honored to be a board member, and I hope this can be a helpful resource to stay informed and support families at risk of harm.
https://www.nilc.org/articles/analysis-of-trump-day-1-executive-orders-unconstitutional-illegal-and-cruel/
✅ Most importantly, we need to be hypervigilant of children who are no longer coming to work, school or for healthcare because of fear. We must do the work of supporting the families we do see and remembering to reach out to those we don't see.
"During Trump’s first term, immigration agents arrested people receiving emergency care in hospitals and a child during an ambulance transfer. Immigration officers in Texas arrested a woman awaiting brain surgery in a hospital in Fort Worth. In Portland, Oregon, officers arrested a young man leaving a hospital, and in San Bernardino, California, a woman drove herself to the hospital to give birth after her husband was arrested at a gas station."
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/23/health/immigration-hospitals-kff/index.html
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Things we can do as health providers:
avoid including patients’ immigration status in bills and medical records
post information about patients’ rights, including their right to remain silent, in waiting rooms
provide patients with contact information for legal-aid groups during visits
discuss a safety plan for caregivers and their children to ensure they have contacts in case they are arrested by ICE.
partner with an immigrant attorney or service provider to act as a "liaison" for your facility who can help train staff and provide nonlegal advice to families
request to see warrants and ensure that they have the correct address, date, the space they are allowed to search and a signature from a judge (if any of these are incorrect or missing- that warrant cannot justify a full search of private areas)
do not physically obstruct immigration agents, but do not assist with an arrest
take photos and videos of any enforcement actions if you can’t reach your "liasion" for advice
follow-up on patients who have missed visits and sensitively identify if fear of deportation is a concern, so you can work to develop a plan for accessing care safely.
S/o to Dr. Sural Shah, for also sharing this amazing resource and toolkit to help providers inform themselves and support their patients:
https://www.everyonebelongshere.net/
They are trying to overwhelm us but we remain ready and unafraid, just like our ancestors.
Onward.
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