On June 16th, Donald Trump said the following hurtful, harmful, and completely inaccurate statement: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…they’re sending people that have lots of problems…they’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime. They’re rapists…” Trump couldn’t be more wrong: Studies show that immigrants are actually LESS likely to commit crimes and also that immigration and crime rates aren’t linked at all. His hateful statement was both inaccurate AND harmful to families. Sign on to MomsRising's open letter to Donald Trump demanding an apology: To: Donald Trump From: Parents, grandparents, and all who care for our country’s children On June 16th, you made offensive, inaccurate, flat-out wrong, racist comments about Mexican immigrants, calling them "dangerous criminals" and "rapists." On behalf of our children, we demand an apology. Let’s set the record straight: According to the American Immigration Council, numerous studies have shown that “immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than the native-born, and high rates of immigration are not associated with higher rates of crime. This holds true for both legal immigrants and the undocumented, regardless of their country of origin or level of education.” Furthermore, two thirds of all immigrants to our country are women and children, and the harm of this type of racism is far from a “grown-up” problem. It hurts children too. Research indicates that children who are exposed to racism at an early age suffer socially, academically, and their health is negatively impacted. Children should not have to experience racism anywhere in their lives. Mr. Trump, apologize for your racist attacks against immigrant women, children, and families!

We want United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to provide mobile biometric intake services to neighbor islands immediately. The Hawaii Coalition for Immigrant Rights represents a collaborative effort of over 70 faith, legal, and social justice-oriented organizations and individuals committed to advancing the rights of immigrants in Hawaii.

For almost a year now, the Texas Department of State Health Services has been denying birth certificates to immigrant mothers whose children were born within the state borders. The state agency is claiming that they are unable to provide the immigrant women with birth certificates for their children because they are unable to provide valid forms of identification -- despite the women providing foreign passports and other forms of ID. Without valid birth certificates, these children are unable to be enrolled in day care, be provided medical treatment in case of an emergency, or have any claim to their United States citizenship. Meanwhile, the parents are unable to prove that they are the legal guardians of the child. In short, no birth certificate means that these children, who are natural born United States Citizens, are unable to obtain the rights and protection that are afforded to every person born in this country. What the state of Texas is doing is discriminatory against immigrant parents, and is in clear violation of the United States Constitution. The Texas Department of State Health Services needs to stop turning a blind eye on these children and their families and begin granting them birth certificates now!

Thousand of undocumented immigrant families in North Carolina could soon have a chance to start fixing their immigration status and get temporary job authorization under Executive Actions on Immigration, but Governor Pat McCrory has signed our state onto a wasteful lawsuit to hold back progress. This frivolous lawsuit only serves to hurt North Carolina families and our economy. If all people who qualify for these programs were to receive them, this would mean over $197 million for our state’s economy. These hardworking families would also qualify for driver’s licenses and automobile insurance, adding more money to our economy and making our roads safer. _______________________________________________________________ Miles de familias inmigrantes indocumentados en Carolina del Norte pronto tendrán la oportunidad de empezar a arreglar su situación migratoria y obtener una autorización temporal de empleo bajo las acciones ejecutivas de inmigración, pero el Gobernador Pat McCrory ha incluido a Carolina del Norte en una demanda que pretende frenar este progreso. Esta demanda frívola solo sirve para dañar a las familias y economía de Carolina del Norte. Si todas las personas quienes califican para estos programas los recibieran, esto significaría más de $197 millones para nuestra economía estatal. Estas familias trabajadoras también calificarían para licencias de conducir y seguro de auto, estimulando nuestra economía más y haciendo nuestras carreteras mas seguras.

Release Marlon Vaz so that he can obtain necessary medical treatment, which ICE has failed to provide for three years despite his diagnosis of Bell's Palsy, a result of a botched dental surgery in an ICE facility that was run by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). Marlon Francisco Vaz (A#205132331) has been in ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) custody since January 21, 2012. On March 12, 2012, while detained at the now closed North Georgia Detention Center, an immigration facility run by Corrections Corporations of America (CCA), Marlon underwent a tooth extraction surgery that has left half of his face paralyzed. Immediately after the surgery, Marlon began to experience droopiness in his right eye, and loss of feeling and muscle control over the right side of his face. Instead of releasing him so that he can acquire medical attention, ICE has ignored the severity of the permanent damage of his condition and has failed to provide proper medical treatment. Less than seven days after the botched surgery, ICE ordered him deported on March 19, 2012, without him seeing an Immigration Judge. ICE has pressured the Brazilian government to issue travel documents, while threatening Marlon with criminal prosecution for "not aiding in his removal." In addition to the denial of medical care, Marlon’s requests for medical release from custody have also been ignored as ICE continues to hold him, and his health continues to deteriorate. We demand that Marlon Vaz is released so that he could receive adequate medical attention.

Mayra F is the mother of 4 US citizen children who has been living in the United States since 1996. Currently, she's one of the most proficient health promoter instructor through her Zumba Class in Fort Worth, Texas. She has helped many people reach their goal to lose weight, improve their health and also, she has organized events such as "Zumbathon" to help kids like "Peter to fight cancer", or "Martin to get a liver transplant". Mayra needs an opportunity to remain living with her US citizen children. She made a couple of mistakes in the past. There are regarding two misdemeanor cases. One of them has been reopened since 3 months ago, and still pending in Tarrant County court. Mayra's lawyer is fighting to demonstrate her innocence. Please, if you read this petition, please give a Mayra Fuentes the opportunity to remain in the United States with her children and let her continue to promote health and fitness to local communities.

DACA students, otherwise known as Undocumented Students with a Legal Presence, are students that were brought to the United States of America for a better life at a young age. In June of 2012, we finally got the opportunity to legally attend college by receiving DACA. That was the first and most important step, but now almost HALF A MILLION of us are not financially stable to be able to afford those out of pocket costs. Many of us are hard-working taxpayers who are just not able to afford an education. Paying Out-of-State Tuition without ANY government help is very difficult for anyone, American Citizen or NOT. Help us bring In-State Tuition for DACA students!

Erik Cortez-Sandeniz (A# 096-116-570) came to the United States from Mexico when he was nine years old. This is a letter from his oldest son, also named Erik. “My father grew up in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Central High School. He dropped out of high school to work and provide for his family at the age of seventeen. Since then, he has been the head of our household and has dedicated his life to taking care of his children and wife. He is now thirty-six years old and is in detention. My father grew up in a neighborhood filled with gangs. Like many other young people in his community, he became involved with the gang because that was what he knew. Despite his gang affiliation, he started working at the age of thirteen to provide for his family. One of his first jobs was helping in a local church. This country has been the only place my father has known. His whole family is here including his three U.S citizen sisters and U.S citizen mother and U.S permanent resident father, numerous of aunts and uncles and cousins, but most importantly he has his five U.S citizen children. I am his oldest son and I am nineteen years old. I just recently finished my first year at Brandeis University on a scholarship. His second oldest was recently accepted to Mass Maritime on a scholarship. Before being detained, my father saw his second son graduate high school but if he is deported he won’t see the rest of his children complete this important milestone. Two of his other children are in high school and his youngest just finished the 5th grade. He has been with my mother, his wife, for 20 years. If he does go back to Mexico, there's a possibility that he will be killed by rival gangs. He made mistakes, but I truly believe he has learned from them and moved on. He instilled in us the value of education that he learned from his experiences. My father grew up in circumstances that did not allow him to get an education, but he made sure that did not happen to us. He has two felony charges: one occurred when he was very young for leaving the scene of a car accident and the second for selling a gun to someone he thought was a friend and explained he needed a gun because his family was being threatened and was in danger. My father has provided and raised a wonderful family.” Please sign and ask ERO Assistant Field Office Director Todd Thurlow and DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Esther Olavarria to release Erik from detention so that he can fight his case from home with his family.

We are requesting you exercise prosecutorial discretion to not enforce the removal order against Mr. Gastelum consistent with the new enforcement memo by Secretary Johnson. Mr. Gastelum and his wife have a U.S. born son, Dilan (5) who suffers from severe eczema, developmental disabilities, anxiety and failure to thrive. Mr. Gastelum can provide medical insurance through his job and the insurance is necessary to treat and manage Dilan's severe eczema to avoid undue suffering and hospitalization. We believe this case meets the requirements for prosecutorial discretion and ask that you take immediate action to keep this family together and allow Dilan to continue receiving his much needed treatment.

Juan de Jesus (A095-528-377) came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was two. Now, 27, Juan is a New Yorker with deep roots in New York and New Jersey. He graduated from Norman Thomas High School in August 2007, and worked at a bodega before his detention. His entire family is here, including his green-card holder mother Augustina, his four U.S. citizen siblings, and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. His U.S. citizen fiancé Alya Aboulhosn, whom Juan has dated since February 2013, attends all his court appearances and visits him in detention weekly. Juan is also a dedicated uncle to his two U.S. citizen nieces and U.S. citizen nephew. Juan has had a hard time getting good legal help. When he tried to regularize his status, an immigration “worker” Vincent Gonzales never followed up with his case. In July 2010, the NY Attorney General obtained a judgment of over $6.25 million against Mr. Gonzalez for engaging in the unauthorized practice of the law and defrauding thousands of immigrants. In August 2014, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Juan after he was convicted for drug possession. The criminal defense attorney who represented him was recently indicted for attempting to bribe Manhattan court staff. In September 2014, Juan’s attorneys appealed his conviction. Under immigration law, while the appeal is pending, the conviction (a felony for DACA purposes) is not “final,” and, as such, does not disqualify him from DACA. But ICE refuses to release him until the court decides the appeal, which could take up to two years. The DACA guidelines provide that while in ICE detention, Juan cannot apply for DACA though he fully qualifies. Juan also has three possession of marijuana New York violations: two carry maximum penalties of only a fine and do not count as misdemeanors for DACA; and one counts as a non-significant misdemeanor for DACA. These NY violations do not disqualify him from DACA. Juan started using drugs in high school. Becoming homeless after his mother (at the urging of her then-boyfriend) kicked him out of her apartment exacerbated his drug use. If Juan is released, he is determined to stay clean, and has already been accepted into a drug treatment program in New Jersey where he will live with his fiancé. Juan is also seeking asylum. His hearing was scheduled for June 2015, but because the judge assigned to his case retired, the court rescheduled for December 2015. Juan will have been detained for over a year and four months before his hearing. He has already been in detention for ten months. His attorneys filed a habeas petition in federal court on June 16, 2015, so that Juan may be released while he fights his case. That petition is pending. Please sign and ask ERO Field Office Director John Tsoukaris to release Juan from detention so that he can fight his case from home with his family.

Erik Cortez-Sandeniz (A# 096-116-570) came to the United States from Mexico when he was nine years old. This is a letter from his oldest son, also named Erik. “My father grew up in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Central High School. He dropped out of high school to work and provide for his family at the age of seventeen. Since then, he has been the head of our household and has dedicated his life to taking care of his children and wife. He is now thirty-six years old and is in detention. My father grew up in a neighborhood filled with gangs. Like many other young people in his community, he became involved with the gang because that was what he knew. Despite his gang affiliation, he started working at the age of thirteen to provide for his family. One of his first jobs was helping in a local church. This country has been the only place my father has known. His whole family is here including his three U.S citizen sisters and U.S citizen mother and U.S permanent resident father, numerous of aunts and uncles and cousins, but most importantly he has his five U.S citizen children. I am his oldest son and I am nineteen years old. I just recently finished my first year at Brandeis University on a scholarship. His second oldest was recently accepted to Mass Maritime on a scholarship. Before being detained, my father saw his second son graduate high school but if he is deported he won’t see the rest of his children complete this important milestone. Two of his other children are in high school and his youngest just finished the 5th grade. He has been with my mother, his wife, for 20 years. If he does go back to Mexico, there's a possibility that he will be killed by rival gangs. He made mistakes, but I truly believe he has learned from them and moved on. He instilled in us the value of education that he learned from his experiences. My father grew up in circumstances that did not allow him to get an education, but he made sure that did not happen to us. He has two felony charges: one occurred when he was very young for leaving the scene of a car accident and the second for selling a gun to someone he thought was a friend and explained he needed a gun because his family was being threatened and was in danger. My father has provided and raised a wonderful family.” Please sign and ask ERO Assistant Field Office Director Todd Thurlow and DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Esther Olavarria to release Erik from detention so that he can fight his case from home with his family.

Flagrant Human Rights Violations affect us all. If ignored in one place, it pops up in another place.