Sister Cities Invited to Talk About Family Separation

(Written by Rachel Dunlap)

On June 20th, 2018, Sister Cities was invited to speak at a rally on family separation by our kind neighbors, NPR-12, after their guest speaker unexpectedly cancelled. Mario and I obliged. It was my first day in the office, and being notoriously bad at public speaking AND Spanish, I was nervous. The event was hosted by CODACC, RED SIVAR, and ASDIHL in the late afternoon, and to my great relief, we had some time to prepare.

Accompanied by some of San Salvador’s finest musicians and jugglers, we spoke about the injustice of family separation on the southern border imposed by the Trump administration. Some guests in attendance were upset not only by United States immigration policy, but also with the catalysts of forced migration, namely historic US destabilization of Central American countries, economic inequality, and ongoing gang violence. We read statements denouncing the Trump administration’s immigration policy on behalf of Sister Cities and talked of communities’ efforts to combat family separation. Our hosts created bold displays to supplement the talk – children’s toys were strewn across the sidewalk and placed inside of cages, with Trump’s face hung across the bars.

Attached below is a statement from Sister Cities on United States immigration policy.

USESSC Statement of Solidarity – migrants

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