On Friday, BP Diaz & Bronx Clergy Task Force will host a prayer vigil and rally calling for the reunification of these children with their parents
“My staff and I have received numerous inquiries regarding the news that children who have been separated from their parents at the border are being housed in The Bronx.
“Since this news of this humanitarian crisis was made public, my office has been in contact with the two social service providers that are contracted with the federal government to provide services for these children in our borough, Catholic Guardian Services and Lutheran Social Services of New York.
“Both of these organizations had been previously contracted by the federal government to provide services for unaccompanied minors, and in recent days have been forced to take on a new population of children who have been separated from their parents at the border.
“I have been assured by leadership at both organizations that these children are receiving the best possible care. They are not in prisons. They are going to school, receiving medical and counseling services, and are afforded legal representation in immigration court where appropriate. Given the sensitive nature of the current situation, as well as the need to protect these children from unwanted attention, the organizations will not disclose the locations where these children are being housed.
“My office will continue to monitor this difficult situation and be in touch with these social service providers to ensure these children are receiving the best of care. In the coming days my office will also be in touch with institutions across the city regarding ways the lives of these children can be made easier and more comfortable during their stay in this borough.
“President Trump’s cruelty is a stain on this nation. On Friday, my office will host a prayer vigil and rally to call on this administration to reunite these children with their families and reverse this shameful, hateful, reprehensible policy,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
The prayer vigil will take place on Friday, June 22, 2018, on the steps of The Bronx County Building, 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, New York. The event will begin at 12:00 p.m., and will be co-sponsored by the Bronx Clergy Task Force.