Members and Leadership of the Kansas League of United Latin American Citizens invite all who are concerned about both the humanitarian crisis and economic viability of our country to sign and support the need for Compassionate Immigration Reform and encourage leadership to take action.

Rausel Arista is an active community leader involved in the immigrant rights movement in North Carolina, and a dedicated father who was detained returning home from vacation in NY. Rausel was detained by border patrol at the Buffalo/Niagara airport in Buffalo NY the morning of July 21, 2014 by a TSA official, questioned by border patrol and ultimately arrested for flying while undocumented. Rausel has been active in the community for many years. He has worked countless hours helping others in deportation proceedings, has marched countless miles in support of humane immigration policy change, and is a loving father of two young children. Rausel is a low priority case, and is not a threat to national security. For his family, for his community - Rausel should be released and his deportation stopped.

As feared, we are beginning to see a backlash to Governor Patrick's proposal to temporarily house unaccompanied children in Massachusetts. Town council officials in Chicopee and Bourne, the two proposed sites, have expressed resolute opposition, and the Tea Party has organized anti-illegal immigrant rallies on Beacon Hill. The problem is that these children are not illegal immigrants. They have arrived at our border seeking help as they flee violent situations in their home countries. These children are not only fleeing violence and poverty, but many are in danger of becoming victims of sex-trafficking. In the face of this growing resistance, we hope to create a compassionate voice of support in favor of Governor Patrick's decision to temporarily house some of the children while they await refugee hearings. I believe that it is our responsibility to care for one another in an increasingly interdependent and violent world where many vulnerable individuals are left at risk. It is unconscionable to reject these children at a time when they are at their greatest need. Please sign if you live in Massachusetts.

In 18 months, Iowans, like myself, will help nominate the next president of the United States. We want a leader who will fight for real solutions -- not just more appeasement and political expediency. Right now, thousands of children are literally fleeing for their lives, as violence tears apart their communities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Secretary Hillary Clinton believes these children should be immediately deported and sent “a clear message: just because your child gets across the border, that doesn’t mean the child gets to stay.” Governor O’Malley – another 2016 Democratic candidate— has a different idea: “We are not a country that should turn children away and send them back to certain death.” It's critical that we Iowans use our political power to tell candidates running for President, especially the front runner Hillary Clinton, that we want real solutions and real leadership – not just political expediency. Tell Secretary Hillary Clinton to listen to Martin O’Malley: Don’t advocate for sending children to their deaths.

America has always been a beacon of hope for those in need of refuge. While we can’t accept everyone who wants to come to America, we must follow our laws and international standards for dealing with refugees. In 2008, Congress and George W. Bush unanimously passed a human trafficking bill that dictates how we treat children fleeing violence. Under this bill, the US is required to make sure the best interests of children are paramount, that those in genuine need of safe haven do not get sent back to the violence they escaped, and that all those who claim to need protection have a full and fair proceeding before the sometimes life-or-death decision to deport a child back to violence is made. Iowa and America are strong enough to deal intelligently and compassionately with kids who have fled violence and arrive seeking safety. The last thing we need is a politician like Gov. Branstad using this humanitarian crisis as a political soap box for his re-election campaign.

Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, who has lived in the United States since he was 12 years old. In 2011, he bravely came out as an undocumented immigrant, becoming one of the most visible spokespeople in the immigration movement. Jose's recent arrest at McAllen-Miller International Airport in Texas shows the broken nature of our immigration system. That's why we're asking President Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to release Jose from detention immediately.

The crisis at the border is only getting worse. So where’s President Obama? More than a month after the nation learned that thousands of families and unaccompanied children from Central America, he still hasn’t so much as visited the squalid facilities where these folks are being held and processed. Even Democratic Reps. Raul Grijalva and Henry Cuellar are calling it “Obama’s Katrina” -- another president failing to assert moral leadership at a time when it is most needed. In fact, President Obama just went to Texas -- but not for the reason you’d think. He is sweeping through Texas and other Southwestern states to raise money for elections. There’s just no excuse for this -- as the president makes decisions about the fates of these children and families, his response to this tragedy should be informed by direct experience of what these folks went through to get here and what they’re going through now that they’ve arrived. It’s telling that even now, President Obama continues to treat the flow of children into this country as an immigration issue instead of the humanitarian issue it is. He hasn’t even addressed the rise in virulent right-wing xenophobia cropping up as residents along the border turn back buses of refugees. Even Glenn Beck, the former Fox News host who once called the president a “racist” who has a “deep-seated hatred for white people” is standing up to the worst ugliness on the right, going to the border with trucks full of teddy bears, soccer balls, and food. President Obama needs to step up to the plate. These are children, not a political calculation. Tell him to visit detention facilities at the border immediately, and to speak out against the rising tide of xenophobia in US political rhetoric.

President Obama just went to Texas -- but not for the reason you’d think. Despite facing one of the worst domestic humanitarian crises in recent memory, President Obama still hasn’t so much as visited the border, or any of the squalid facilities in which families and unaccompanied children have been housed. No, President Obama is touring Texas and other Southwestern states to raise money for elections. There’s just no excuse for this -- as the president makes decisions about the fates of these children and families, his understanding of the crisis shouldn't be purely academic. His response to this tragedy should be informed by direct experience of what these folks went through to get here and what they’re going through now that they’ve arrived. It’s telling that even now, President Obama continues to treat the flow of children into this country as an immigration issue instead of the humanitarian issue it is. His mishandling of the crisis, and his detachment from the individuals and communities most affected by it, have led Reps. Raul Grijalva and Henry Cuellar to label the crisis as “Obama’s Katrina.” It’s hard to argue that they’re wrong. President Obama is failing to assert moral leadership at a time when it is most needed. He hasn’t even addressed the rise in virulent right-wing xenophobia cropping up as residents along the border turn back buses of refugees. Even Glenn Beck, the former Fox News host who once called the president a “racist” who has a “deep-seated hatred for white people” is standing up to the worst ugliness on the right, going to the border with trucks full of teddy bears, soccer balls, and food. President Obama needs to step up to the plate. These are children, not a political calculation. Tell him to visit detention facilities at the border immediately, and to speak out against the rising tide of xenophobia in US political rhetoric.

We’ve heard the stories and seen the haunting images of children forced to sleep on the floor of grossly overcrowded detention centers. Tell President Obama that children and families don’t belong in detention. Unaccompanied children as young as four years old are fleeing violence in Central America. Mothers with young children are risking everything to find safety. Nearly two thirds of the children making the dangerous crossing would qualify for international protection due to the extreme violence and abuse they faced in their home countries. The journey is dangerous. Women and girls face threats of sexual violence. Many are arriving pregnant as the result of sexual assault and rape in their home countries or on the journey. Unfortunately once they arrive, too many of these children and families are being held in overcrowded Border Patrol facilities that are not appropriate places for children and families to stay. And now the President wants to build new detention centers to detain families with children. We must provide safe and appropriate shelter for children and families coming across our borders, not lock them up and deprive them of their rights. President Obama’s proposal to address the humanitarian crisis includes nearly $1 Billion dollars in new funding for enforcement and detention at the border. We cannot continue to pour funding into militarizing an already secure border and building new family detention centers. Tell President Obama no new money to detain families and children. Thank you for standing up for refugee children and families today.

This issue is about children. As a mother, the plight of the unaccompanied minors crossing our borders breaks my heart. But, the hostility and vitriol expressed towards them in response to news reports and on social media as well as the public display in Murietta, California is disgraceful. They are not political pawns. They are precious children and they need our help. I had never heard of Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins before reading about him in a magazine article yesterday. I was grateful to read that someone in political office is standing up for these children. I was inspired to write this Petition-my first, to hopefully encourage other politicians to do the same. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins recently stood up to lead by example and help these children. As Judge Jenkins so eloquently stated in a recent article with Mother Jones Magazine: “We just need to get the will to recognize that these are children and not others. That these are children just like your children and my children, just like our ancestors when they came across as children, except these children came across without their parents. And they are scared, alone, and they need our help.” Read his interview here http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/07/texas-we-dont-turn-our-back-children Please show your support for what this issue is truly about, children who are suffering and in need of our help. Please support this petition to encourage Judge Clay Jenkins and others like him who bravely act against their political interests to do the right thing. Please sign this petition and help send a message to our representatives that AMERICA DOES NOT TURN ITS BACK ON CHILDREN. Thank you.

Since coming to the U.S. in 2007 on a work visa, Gabino has worked hard to support both his family living in the U.S. and back home in Mexico. Gabino believes that hard work and the love of one's family are the keys to success in life. He planned to make a deeper commitment to his family this month by marrying the love of his life, Amelia, and continuing the support he provides to her and her children. The community of DeWitt is devastated by the news of Gabino's impending deportation. His neighbors and community volunteers have rallied together to support Gabino's family, fiancee, and stepchildren, but they cannot do this alone. They need your help to make sure that this family is not separated. Please sign this petition so that this family can have the wedding and bright future that it deserves!

Almost 60,000 children are currently being held in disease-ridden, filthy facilities as prisoners. They are fleeing unbearable violence from drug cartels in their home countries. They do not need to be sent back to this violence, nor do they need to be treated as criminals. They are refugees.