Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors Releases Spanish-language Video to Support Immigrant Parents
We are pleased to announce the release of a video we produced in response to the requests from thousands of parents who find themselves and their children in an environment that is increasingly uncertain for immigrants.
The video demonstrates and provides insight for parents on how to communicate with their young children on topics that are particularly difficult to tackle. It models interactions between parent and child and shows them how to respond, and comfort a child who faces the stress of bullying, and potential family separation. Using the familiar dicho “Better safe than sorry”(“Mas vale prevenir que lamentar”), it also encourages parents to develop a plan that is best for their family and how to provide for the care and well-being of their child in the event of an emergency.
Intangible Productions and Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors developed the video in conjunction with experts on family engagement, early childhood development and immigration policy. The video is available free of charge along with links to information and resources for immigrant parents. There are versions with subtitles in English and Spanish for bilingual and hearing impaired families.
Know Your Rights
- Know Your Rights (American Civic Liberties Union - ACLU) provides an overview of immigrants’ rights and how to reduce risk in different scenarios, including traffic stops, home raids, and arrests near the border.
- Know Your Rights Toolkit (Immigrant Legal Resource Center) resources for advocates and community members, including Know Your Rights, red cards, family preparedness plans, and a train-the-trainer toolkit to support advocates in holding a Know Your Rights presentation in your community.
- Know Your Rights (American Civil Liberties Union - ACLU) Do you know your rights? These easy-to-use resources were created by the ACLU so you can have your rights at your fingertips.
- Know Your Rights (National Immigration Law Center) Everyone has certain basic rights, no matter who is president
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Immigrant Legal Resource Center)
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Spanish)
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Chinese)
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Arabic)
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Korean)
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Russian)
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Tagalog)
- Know Your Rights and What Immigrant Families Should Do Now (Vietnamese)
- Family Preparedness Plan (Immigrant Legal Resource Center) Every family should have a Family Preparedness Plan. While it is our hope that you never have to use your plan, it is a good practice to have one in place to help reduce the stress of the unexpected. This packet will help everyone create a Family Preparedness Plan, regardless of immigration status.
- Family Preparedness Plan (Boston Medical Center Pediatric)
- Family Preparedness Plan Document where parents and caregivers can list important information about themselves, their families and their children in case they have to be absent, like in the event of detention or deportation.
- Family Preparedness Plan Facilitators Guide Guide for providers helping families to complete the Family Preparedness Plan.
- Applying for a Passport for Children Under 16-years Old Guide with information on how to apply and documents needed when applying for a passport for a child or youth younger than 16 years old.
- Informed Immigrant was launched two weeks after theal election 2016 presidenti and quickly became the home for critical resources collected by immigrant-serving community groups.
- The Rights of Lawful Permanent Residents Permanent (Immigrant Legal Resource Center) Permanent residents continue to have all the same rights. This one-pager provides information on your rights as well as things to keep in mind if you want to travel outside the United States, have been convicted of a crime, or are eligible to naturalize to become a U.S. citizen.
- Todo lo que tienes que prevenir si eres indocumentado (La Opinión)
- Online tool that screens for common forms of immigration relief (Immi)
- Information for families of a detained immigrant (Community Initiatives for Visiting Immigrants in Confinement - End Isolation)
- Letter to Alternative Caregivers (Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health & The University of Michigan) A letter that presents the idea of SAFE Communication to assist alternative caregivers to help the children begin to make sense of what has happened to them and offers strategies to increase the children’s sense of safety and protection.
- Protecting Assets and Child Custody in the Face of Deportation: A Guide for Practitioners Assisting Immigrant Families(Appleseed Network)
- Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Child Care and Early Education Programs (CLASP) This fact sheet provides an overview of current immigrant eligiblity policies in early childhood programs, specifically child care subsidies and Head Start
- Get Healthy, California! (Dream Resource Center) A Healthcare Resource Guide for Undocumented and Uninsured Californians.
- Access to Health Care, Food, and Other Public Programs for Immigrant Families Under the Trump Administration: Things to Keep in Mind When Talking With Immigrant Families (National Immigration Law Center)
- Know Your Rights (United We Dream) Are you prepared if Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents approach you? Download your Deportation Defense Card to Know Your Rights & Call our hotline to report ICE activity.
Immigration
- How to Help Families Prepare for the ICE Raids (CLASP) resource page for service providers with guidance on supporting children and families affected by raids.
- Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation (Women's Refugee Commission - WRC) a compilation of guides and resources to protect parental rights; includes information about family separation due to detention and deportation, safety planning, and child welfare for families facing deportation.
- Tips for Responding to ICE Inquiries at Head Start Centers (Community Action Partnership Legal Services, Inc.) provides tips to prepare for an unannounced visit from immigration officials. Targeted to Head Start centers, but great information for other providers serving children and youth as well.
- ¿Te Sientes Enojado con la Desalentadora Práctica de Separación de Familias de Nuestro País? ¡Únete a Nosotros para Tomar Acción! (La Comadre)
- Education leaders, teachers, students, and families, have asked questions about guidance that was released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that limits immigration enforcement actions from occurring at schools and other “sensitive locations.” To respond to those questions, the U.S. Department of Education has worked with DHS to prepare this fact sheet, intended to help parents, families, educators, and other school staff understand the DHS guidance.
- American Immigration Lawyers Association is the only legal association in the United States for immigration attorneys. More than 14,000 immigration lawyers are members of AILA.
- Immigration Defense Project The mission of Immigrant Defense Project is to secure fairness and justice for immigrants in the United States.
- Inmigrante Informado
- Immigration Law Help is a searchable online directory of over 1,000 free or low-cost nonprofit immigration legal services providers in all 50 states.
- The National Immigration Project the National Immigration Project has promoted justice and equality of treatment in all areas of immigration law, the criminal justice system, and social policies related to immigration.
- National Immigration Services Network (is a joint project of the Immigration Advocates Network and Pro Bono Net) To search for immigration legal services providers by state, county, or detention facility. Only nonprofit organizations that provide free or low-cost immigration legal services are included in this directory.
- U.S. Citizen Children Impacted by Immigration Enforcement (American Immigration Council)
- Promoting a Safe and Secure Learning Environment for All: Guidance and Model Policies to Assist California’s K-12 Schools in Responding to Immigration Issues California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a new guidance to help California’s public K-12 schools and other local educational agencies develop policies to protect the rights of undocumented students and their families. The guide is designed to help schools better understand protections that safeguard the privacy of undocumented students and their families, and to serve as a model for local school districts. ( State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General.
- The Impact of Immigration Enforcement Policies On Teaching and Learning in America’s Public Schools (Migration Policy Institute)
- Immigrant and Refugee Children, A Guide for Educators and School Support Staff (United We Dream’s Dream Educational Empowerment Program, National Immigration Law Center, First Focus and the AFT) This guide was created for educators, school support staff and service providers who teach, mentor and help open the doors of opportunity for undocumented youth and unaccompanied and refugee children currently living in the United States.
- Stress Related to Immigration Status in Students: A Brief Guide for Schools (Created by faculty at Marquette University) This brief guide is designed to provide an overview of detention, deportation, and other immigration status-related stressors and their effects on children and families, as well as suggestions for how school personnel can support families in the context of this unique stressor.
- Unaccompanied Minors & The New Executive Orders Immigrant Legal Resource Center
-
What Immigrant Families Need To Know About The Public Charge (YouTube) Latino Policy Forum
- Public Charge (National Immigration Law Center) "Public charge" is a term by U.S. immigration officials to refer to a person who is considered primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, as demonstrated by either receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or institutionalization for long-term care at government expense.
- PIF Campaign: Public Charge Analysis and FAQ - September 2019 (Protecting Immigrant Families) This document reflects the changes to public charge policy based on the Department of Homeland Security’s recent rule on the public charge ground of inadmissibility.
- The Final Public Charge Rule: Five Things Early Childhood Stakeholders Need to Know (Center for Law and Social Policy, CLASP)
- Public Charge The Children’s Partnership
- California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a consumer alert warning Californians to be wary of scam artists or untrained immigration consultants who prey on immigrants by falsely holding themselves out as legally qualified to assist with immigration matters. The consumer alert urges those who need help navigating the immigration process to seek assistance from licensed attorneys or legal aid organizations – not from notaries or immigration consultants. (California Department of Justice)
- California Immigrant Guide In an effort to integrate immigrants, CA has developed innovative services that help immigrants become part of the social, economic and civic fabric of the state. This website provides information on available services throughout the state that help immigrants thrive and succeed in their paths towards integration. It is accessible in 12 different languages
- Ten Myths About Immigration (Teaching Tolerance, Southern Poverty Law Center)
- Resources for Families Facing Deportation and Separation (Women’s Refugee Commission)
- Half of CA children have immigrant parents (The Kids Data)
- ¿Tienes dudas sobre tus derechos como inmigrante? Consúltalas en nuestra herramienta interactiva Univision
- What to do if immigration comes to your workplace National Employment Law Project and National Immigration Law Center
- The LIBRE Project LIBRE is a collaborative program between the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo, Redwood City 2020, Nuestra Casa, Coastside Hope, Ravenswood School District, Redwood City School District, and the San Mateo County Human Services Agency. This collaboration works to inform low-income San Mateo County immigrant families and individuals about services that they can obtain.
- How to Apply for U.S. Citizenship U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Citizenship U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Citizenship Through Naturalization U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Citizenship Through Parents U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Learn English FREE and Prepare to Become a U.S. Citizen with USA Learns! USA Learns is a free website for adults to learn English and prepare for U.S. citizenship.
Kids and Trauma
- Supporting Young Children Experiencing Separation and Trauma: Resources for Adults Who Care for Them (ZERO TO THREE) includes resources for families and caregivers working with children who have experienced trauma, including a state-by-state directory of infant and early childhood mental health specialists who have volunteered to field inquiries and make connections to resources and clinicians.
- Young Children in Refugee Families and Early Childhood Programs: Ways to Mitigate the Effects of Trauma Migration Policy Institute
- Addressing the Intergenerational Mental Health Needs of Refugee Families with Young Children Migration Policy Institute
- How to Talk About the News of Family Separations at the Border (Common Sense Media) With nonstop news and social media coverage, surrounding family separations at the border, kids may need help understanding what's happening. The following article provides support and resources for families.
- Supporting Children and Parents Affected by the Trauma of Separation (This is a joint publication from Child Trends and the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families)
- Bordering on Inhumanity: Trump’s Policy of Forcibly Separating Migrant Families Deliberately Causing Trauma to Children (First 5 LA)
- Care, Cope, Connect A new resource is now available to help the growing number of families in California tackling heightened community stress. The Care, Cope, Connect resource, created by Sesame Street in Communities in collaboration with the First 5 Association of California, helps parents cope with stress and provide safety and security for their children.
- Our Children’s Fears: Immigration Policy’s Effects on Young Children (CLASP) examines the effects of policy changes to young children in immigrant families broadly.
- California Children in Immigrant Families: The Health Provider Perspective (The Children’s Partnership)
- Healthy Mind, Healthy Future: Promoting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Children in Immigrant Families (The Children’s Partnership and the California Immigrant Policy Center)
- Immigration Policy’s Harmful Impacts on Early Care and Education (CLASP) describes how professionals who care for young children in immigrant families are coping with these same issues.
- Helping Young Children Who Have Been Exposed to Trauma: For Families and Caregivers (National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
- Helping Young Children Who Have Experienced Trauma: Policies and Strategies for Early Care and Education (Child Trends & National Center for Children in Poverty)
- Nine Tips for Talking to Kids about Trauma (The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley)
- Helping Traumatized Children (Dr. Bruce D. Perry in a guide for the nonprofit ChildTrauma Academy)
- The Toxic Health Effects of Deportation Threat (The Atlantic)
- I Have Children Crying In The Classroom (NPR)
- "Cecilia and the Long Walk," a children's story & coloring book (Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health) Cecilia and the Long Walk is a children's story & coloring book meant to help children understand their recent experience being separated from a parent, providing language to help organize internal confusion and terror. The story is presented as a coloring book, with version available in both English and Spanish.
- A Guide to Toxic Stress Center on the Developing Child Harvard University
