Families, human rights report tell stories behind deportations

Published: 2007-07-18

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Children wearing T-shirts reading "Born in the USA, Don't take my mommy, daddy away" talked knowledgably about deportation to reporters on the plaza at the Supreme Court July 17, explaining what happens when family members are sent away to another country. The same day, Human Rights Watch issued a report estimating that 1.6 million children and adults, including perhaps 540,000 U.S. citizens, have had a family member deported since a 1996 law reclassified many minor crimes as deportable offenses and eliminated judicial discretion in waiving the penalty. Others at the event urged Congress to pass legislation such as the Child Citizen Protection Act, which would give immigration judges more discretion in deciding when deportation is not in the best interests of children who are U.S. citizens. They also asked the Bush administration to stop immigration raids and deportations. The Supreme Court and the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights both have pending cases about the rights of U.S. citizen children of immigrants who are in deportation proceedings.

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