Federal troop deployments and aggressive enforcement actions threaten the well-being and rights of children, young people across California.
Media Contact: John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
LOS ANGELES, CA— Children’s Defense Fund–California has issued the following statement in response to recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the National Guard in California:
“The White House deployment of the National Guard to the Los Angeles area, usurping state authority and historical precedent, alongside the escalation of violence related to police and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the San Francisco and San Diego metropolitan areas, pose a serious threat to the well-being of the children and young people who live in these California communities.
Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) believes every young person deserves the chance to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. They should be able to play freely in parks, walk safely to school or the bus stop, and learn without fear or trauma. Children cannot do this living in communities militarized by the United States government. It is both reckless and dangerous.
These actions directly undermine a child’s basic right to live and grow up in safety. On Friday, we were deeply disheartened to learn a nine-year-old child had been swept up in an ICE raid in Torrance. That is an event that will likely leave lasting psychological scars for years to come.
Further, we are concerned the administration’s heavy-handed response to first amendment activities may deter mixed-status and immigrant families from seeking the essential services they need to support their children. This is especially dangerous during a time when children and families across America are experience economic instability.
It is deeply hypocritical that, while federal leaders call for reducing government spending, the administration instead chooses to pour millions of dollars into the deployment of military and law enforcement to terrorize children and families in the very communities where they should feel safest.
We call on the President to immediately halt the deployment of the 2,000 National Guard troops authorized to enter Los Angeles County. Additionally, we urge him not to deploy U.S. Marines on the ground in Los Angeles or any other part of California.“