Mark Levine, a City Council member who represents sections of the Upper West Side and neighborhoods to the North, is accepting donations of items for the 239 children who were separated from the parents and taken to New York as part of President Trump’s immigration policy.
UPDATE: Levine’s staff tells me they’ve gotten an enormous influx of goods. and are now directiung people to donate to the JCC Harlem. It will be open tonight between 6-9pm at 318 W 118th St, New York, NY 10026.
The children are being housed in East Harlem, and the city is also looking for Spanish-speaking foster parents for them.
Levine’s email is below:
President Trump’s apparent reversal today is an overdue but welcome retreat from a profoundly immoral policy of separating immigrant children from their families. But 239 children–some as young as 9 months old–are still stranded right here in New York City, thousands of miles away from their parents.
The East Harlem-based non-profit charged with caring for these children is in need of additional Spanish-speaking families to serve as foster homes. If you are interested in serving in this vital role please call the agency at 718-860-1656.
The Trump administration has announced no plans for when and how they will reunite the separated children with their families. But in the meantime, we want to make sure that the 239 kids in NYC do not want for material needs.
My office will therefore begin collecting donations of children’s clothing, diapers, and toys at our district office–located at 500 West 141st Street–beginning Thursday. Our office is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm and will be collecting contributions indefinitely. For more information, please call us at 212-928-6814.
Let’s not only show the world that New Yorkers reject the reprehensible immigration policies of this administration, but let’s also show these children the compassion and love they deserve but were cruelly denied.
Sincerely,
Mark LevineCouncil Member Mark Levine
https://www.languagesforall.nyc/
The synagogue Ansche Chesed at 251 West 100th Street has boxes in their lobby where people can leave donations for this.
They will be delivering the clothing and toys to Mark Levine’s office throughout next week.
Thank you for sharing this!
“Let’s not only show the world that New Yorkers reject the reprehensible immigration policies of this administration”
No different situation as when BAM was in office… Don’t remember the outcry then…
Double standard lib play here of course
You know full well every problem cannot be solved at the same time. Those that get the most attention are the ones first in line.
Trump and Sessions took what was a bad program and put it into hyperdrive, where EVERYONE crossing the border had their children taken away, and that made everyone sit up and take notice.
Now they are trying to say that ripping kids away from their parents was just a bug, and not a feature of their plan.
You can practically hear the “hiss” as the lies flow between the teeth of these snakes.
Not the same. The rate at which this is happening at the border is far greater than ever recorded.
Stop watching Fox news and educate yourself before posting nonsense.
Would it be possible to ship items directly to your office Via amazon? Also, would it be possible to set up an Amazon wishlist for these children so you can update exactly what items are needed?
Would be great if there was another drop off location further down on UWS? Is that possible?
I saw your notice about accepting items for the kids coming to East Harlem.
I am a retired grandmother and want to help. How can I find out about providing foster card for an immigrant child awaiting reuniting with his/her family.
Hi Linda! I called the office directly. Call 718-860-1656, extension 1887. They need your help!
If you wish to volunteer the East Harlem-based non-profit charged with caring for these children is in need of additional Spanish-speaking families to serve as foster homes. If you are interested in fostering call the agency at 718-860-1656. I did 🙏
Did someone got back to you? I have been calling all day with no response. If they did response what are the requirements? Thanks!
Where was the outcry back when this was happening under the previous administration???
Morally reprehensible any way you look at it but come on people!
Sickening how susceptible we are to the media’s agenda…
Too bad you’re allowing yourself to be mislead by the imbeciles running our government.
Here’s some recommended reading:
https://www.factcheck.org/2018/06/did-the-obama-administration-separate-families/
What’s sickening is how you are so brainwashed you think this is the same thing.
The media and DNC are in a frenzy, trying to come up with “scandal” after “scandal” because they are realizing Trump will win in 2020. He has no competition. Don’t even start with Biden, Sanders, Warren, etc. All will lose to Trump. Seriously, their best hope is the Rock Dwayne Johnson.
Is this office open on Saturday? Thanks!
The teachers and director at our early childhood program on the UWS have expressed the wish to help children who are located in a Harlem Center.
Please let us know how we can help.
Thank you,
Elaine Karas
I ‘d like to help. I have been retired for 3 1/2 years from being a special ed early childhood teacher as well as an early childhood specialist. Previously I had over twelve years social work experience with The Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Bellevue Psychiatric Community work in Geriatrics, and some work with young adults at The Jewish Guild School. I do not speak Spanish.
FOr the concerned people here who have expressed a desire to help – you will have to contact the Councilman’s office Mon – Fri at the number he provided. And if you are interested in FOSTERING call the 718-860-1656 number. Remember they are looking for Spanish fluent people to foster.
Is there a list of items we can donate from? Would be a good idea..Would the synagogue have this?
This sounds like aiding and abetting illegals. If they want to come in this country, go through the process the right way. Let their own country provide supplies.
Most the people caught in this new “zero tolerance” are seeking sanctuary and asylum from gangs, drug cartels (where they steal children and sell them into sex slave rings), brutal assault, and spousal abuse. Our country has always allowed people to file asylum status. This administration is currently not allowing this process to go thru. Border Patrol are literally block their paths thru legal ports of entry. So they are entering wherever they can.
Callous, insensitive and cruel.
Just wondering what you think is “callous, insensitive and cruel”? These people came here illegally. How about if they came illegally thru a door or window into your apt? Would that be OK? Wouldn’t they be breaking into your home? Isn’t that illegal? Did you invite them in? None of us invited these people into our country or city. We have more than enough already
Children, these are children being ripped apart from their parents!
Don’t take my word for it, see/hear for yourself and let me know if this is not callous, insensitive and cruel.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4737014/rep-ted-lieu-plays-audio-child-detention-facility
Employers invited them in… they are filling jobs.
Bruce E. Bernstein wrote,
Employers invited them in… they are filling jobs.
– Paul Krugman, North of the Border
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/opinion/north-of-the-border.html
See also the work of George J. Borjas, a Harvard economics professor who has authored several books and writes a blog called LaborEcon. Two relevant entries:
https://gborjas.org/2017/06/19/the-new-narrative-less-immigration-is-bad/
https://gborjas.org/2017/09/05/im-confused/
What is callous, insensitive, and cruel is not upholding the rights of the children already in this country, who have great needs of their own: for shelter, for food, and education. Our tax dollars must be spent FIRST on them, not on the children of illegal immigrants. Illegal is…ILLEGAL.
Children in this country are not getting ripped apart from their mothers as if they were animals. So stop trying to justify the unjustifiable. And if you’re so concerned about spending American tax dollars on immigrants then you should be against the separation of these families as it costs way more to maintain these camps than it is to keep these families together. And now the government is having to spend even more money on foster parents to provide care for these children.
So yes, it is callous, insensitive and cruel!
The first priority is to get them back with their parents!
ABSOLUTELY!
Reunite children with their parents ASAP.
Short of that, let’s at least keep them in hugs, security, clean clothes, bathed and fed. Hopefully occupied, playing games, reading bedtime stories in Spanish. And encouraging them to remember their parents. Parents’ names, phone numbers, etc. It’s our obligation as decent human beings.
https://cis.org/Krikorian/We-will-not-apologize-doing-our-job
Apparently you don’t read or watch the real news. Parents have been in jail for months. This didn’t just start last week. It started months ago and very few parents have gotten their children back and are loathe to leave the country without them. Sure – it’s not a felony, they should only be held a few days (unless they’re seeking asylum). But that’s not what Trump is having them do.
“The reality is more mundane.”
Have you been to one of these detention centers? Because until you go, you have no right to call it mundane.
And since when is it considered mundane to take breast feeding children from their mothers?
Shouldn’t the Federal Government be providing adequate clothing and supplies since it assumed responsibility by placing these children in this situation.
The Federal GOv’t is failing not only the immigrants who seek shelter and asylum but it’s failing all of America’s citizens. This gov’t is so corrupt our president is keeping money from Trump enterprises all over, they’re requesting foreign gov’ts stay at Trump Hotel in DC. They profit from Mar A Lago’s guests. Scott Pruitt is abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency, they pulled out of climate change coalition, they are merging the Dept of Education with Dept of Labor, phasing out Homeland Security. Building up ICE. They taxing via tarriff autos that are being made in the US with Japanese, English and German names on them. The market (and our pensions) have flopped. We’ll have more poor and out-of-work citizens who will have no healthcare, no food stamps, no Medicaid and have no live-lines. He’s done a lot of damage in 18 short months.
For the record, on the Rachel Maddow show @maddow on @MSNBC this evening Mayor di Blasio corrected the number of children in this shelter from the 239 (apparently more than a month ago) to between 600 and 800 children. Workers in the shelter are not permitted to touch the children, beyond handing something to them. But no hugs are permitted by edict. There was some video smuggled out by a former employee who showed many children (faces blurred) at tables with food. But one in particular who was curled up in a chair missing her mommy. She wasn’t sure why they weren’t together, wanted to talk to her and is there with a sister. These children need representation and reunification with their parents. Trump’s plan is costing the City. di Blasio says they have needed medical care for lice, bedbugs and chickenpox. And they need psychological care and support. #FamiliesBelongTogether