37 Texas Groups Call for Humane Treatment of Children & Families at Border

For Immediate Release
Contact: Lee Nichols, TexProtects
512-796-9877 or Lee@texprotects.org

Austin – Today, 37 organizations dedicated to supporting Texas children and families wrote to state leaders and the state’s congressional delegation to express “deep concern over the reported treatment of parents and children held in immigration detention facilities on Texas soil.”

The letter follows numerous accounts of children and adults held for prolonged periods of time in overcrowded Texas-based immigration facilities with inadequate care as well as continued accounts of young children separated from their parents or other family members by U.S. immigration officials.

The letter urges the Texas officials to “support additional measures to ensure that all children and parents who are now in the care of the federal government, no matter their country of origin, receive compassionate, humane, and fair treatment.”

The organizations highlighted their concern about the long-term impact of the trauma experienced by children in immigration facilities, including those separated from their parents, noting, “Furthermore, early childhood trauma undermines a child’s healthy brain development and ability to form healthy attachments, resulting in lifelong, negative consequences, such as chronic physical and/or mental illness and less likelihood of succeeding in school or becoming productive workers.”

“We are very concerned that the inhumane treatment of migrant children, stays in detention facilities, and separation from their families or other nurturing caregivers may all have lasting, harmful effects on the health and development of these children,” said Sophie Phillips, CEO of TexProtects. “We should be protecting these children, not subjecting them to further traumatic events that can have dire, lifelong consequences.”

“Each and every child in our state, no matter where she was born or how she got here, should be treated with the kind of care and compassion that children deserve,” said Stephanie Rubin, CEO of Texans Care for Children and one of the nonprofit leaders who signed the letter. “We urge our elected officials from across the political spectrum to work together improve the way these children and families are being treated.”

The 37 Texas organizations sent the letter to Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Senator John Cornyn, Senator Ted Cruz, the 36 members of the Texas delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the 181 members of the Texas Legislature.

The full letter, including the list of all the signing organizations, is available at http://txchildren.org/s/border-letter.pdf.

TexProtects supports life sentence for Wesley Mathews

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2019
Contact: Lee Nichols
512-796-9877
Lee@texprotects.org

Dallas, Texas – Earlier today, Wesley Mathews of Richardson was sentenced by a jury to life in prison for his role in death of his daughter, Sherin Mathews.

TexProtects, the Texas chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, has watched this case closely. TexProtects CEO Sophie Phillips issues the following statement in response to the sentence:

“As the Texas chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, we are grateful to the jury and law enforcement officials that Wesley Mathews has been held accountable for ending the life of his adopted daughter Sherin. No innocent child should suffer at the hands of the very people that she trusts to protect her. If any good comes of this tragedy, we hope it will be that elected officials and community leaders realize the vital importance of child maltreatment prevention programs. We must reach more families before they reach a crisis situation.”

TexProtects, Champions for Safe Children, was created to tackle issues of Child Protective Services (CPS) reform, prevention and public awareness to bring a collective, organized voice representing the needs of children at risk of abuse and survivors of child abuse and neglect. TexProtects is the Texas Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. TexProtects is autonomous, nonpartisan and nonpolitical, designed to educate decision makers, private funders and the public at large. To date, it is the only Texas organization that has a dedicated focus on the main issues of protection, prevention, and healing of abused and neglected children. For more information, please visit www.TexProtects.org.