RAICES to offer crowdfunded $20 million as bond to have detained mothers released

A Texas legal nonprofit working to reunite immigrant families who were separated at the U.S. southern border said it plans to offer the Trump administration $20 million raised from donations to cover the bail bonds of roughly 2,500 migrant mothers who have been detained.

Jonathan Ryan, the executive director of Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), said in a press release that the group is “dedicated, and uniquely positioned to take on the task of paying bonds for parents separated from their children, one by one.” 

“We will write every single individual bond check. The administration’s actions have already put a moral stain on the United States, and failure to accept this bond check will only delay and put reunification at risk,” Ryan continued. 

The nonprofit hosted a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon calling for all separated families to be reunited, and to demand that the Trump administration accept the $20 million bond check to “enable the speedy release of the mothers of the approximate 2,500 children that have been separated so these families can be reunified.”

“Today marks the 14 day deadline imposed by Judge Dana Sabraw of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California that required the Administration to reunite children under five with their families. But the fact that the Administration is only expected to reunite 54 of the 102 children identified is cause for concern not only in Congress but among the American people,” Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), who also attended the press conference, said in the release.

The Trump administration said it would not be able to meet the court’s Tuesday deadline to reunite all detained children under 5 with their families, although some reunions have already happened.

“This is a human rights abuse, and we must continue to hold the Administration accountable to their stated plans of reuniting every last one of these children with their families. Judge Sabraw should appoint a special master to take over this process. We need answers, timelines, and details regarding reunification, and we won’t rest easy until we know these children are back with their loved ones,” Castro continued.

“Trump says he’s a deal-maker, here’s his chance to cut a deal,” the nonprofit group also said on Twitter of the offer.

We’re in D.C. with a $20m check to pay bail bonds for over 2,000 mothers still detained.

More than 1 million people donated over $20m and their message is clear: reunite the families

Trump says he’s a deal-maker, here’s his chance to cut a deal. #ReuniteEveryChild pic.twitter.com/knBinmJJ50

— RAICES (@RAICESTEXAS) July 10, 2018

The $20 million offer arrives as the Trump administration continues to face opposition over its controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which led to the separation of hundreds of migrant families. Trump has since signed an executive order suspending the practice.

The nonprofit also ripped the president earlier this month for “his stupid policy” of zero tolerance and called him “such an incompetent LOSER” on Twitter.