Activists launch nationwide day of action for #WhereAreTheChildren

Over the weekend, #WhereAreTheChildren became a viral hashtag of horror.

Initial reports that the federal government "lost" nearly 1,500 immigrant children gave way to outraged tweets, calls to action, and reflections on what it'd be like to have a child torn from your arms.

While the preliminary coverage reportedly mischaracterized the children's whereabouts, it quickly drew attention to a new Trump administration policy that separates children from their immigrant parents once they attempt to enter the United States, particularly at the Mexican border.

Now activists are trying to transform public anger at this policy into political pressure.

On Friday, June 1, nonprofit and advocacy organizations will launch a nonviolent national day of action to demand that the Trump administration keep families together as they seek legal status in the U.S.

Events across the country will take place outside of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field offices, attorney general offices, and Congressional offices. Demonstrations are planned for different times in Seattle, Chicago, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix, Atlanta, New York, and several other major cities.

Ai-jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-founder of that organization's immigration reform campaign We Belong Together, said in a press call that the day of action is designed to give people who are "desperate" to help immigrant children the means to make a difference.

"WhereAreTheChildren is a critical question that we must continue to ask," she said, also noting that "children are counting on us to take action."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Though President Trump has blamed the new policy on a law passed by Democrats, experts say no such law exists. Rather, the administration has chosen to criminally prosecute every undocumented person crossing the border, a practice that ultimately separates families by putting parents in detention centers and their unaccompanied children in federal custody, with a relative, sponsor, or a shelter. Children as young as 18 months old have been taken from their parents.

Michelle Brané, director of the migrant rights and justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission, said forcible separations have become Trump administration policy in order to discourage and prevent families from trying to enter the U.S. In the first two weeks after its implementation, more than 600 children were separated from their parents.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have both condemned the practice as traumatic and cruel.

Brané said that some parents are given little to no information about where their children are taken. Parents have also been falsely told that they'll be reunited with a child after serving a sentence for entering the country illegally.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

While it's easy feel angry about terrified children being taken from their parents, it hasn't been clear what people can do about the policy itself. In addition to the upcoming national day of action, immigration reform advocates have suggested donating to verified fundraisers and volunteering for or contributing money to local direct service groups that aid immigrants. People can also sign petitions being circulated by the ACLU and National Domestic Workers Alliance.

Whatever you decide, the activists' message is clear: Don't just tweet your outrage with a hashtag and move on with life.