A number of celebrities have teamed up with American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for an important campaign. Chadwick Boseman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Thandie Newton, and more are starring in a video compilation of them reading an affidavit from a migrant mother named Mirian, who was separated from her 18-month-old son at the Texas border.
In the letter, Mirian explains how she left her native home of Honduras with her baby in Jan. 2018 to seek asylum and “protection from government violence.”
When she reached the border however, Customs and Border Patrol took her son away. “On Feb. 20, 2018, my son and I crossed the international bridge in Brownsville, Texas, and presented ourselves to US immigration officers,” she wrote. “The US immigration officers then told me that they were taking my son from me. They said he would be going to one place and I would be going to another. I asked why the officers were separating my son from me. They did not provide any reason.”
Mirian’s son reportedly turned two on July 4, but she has still not seen him since their separation. “I have not been able to speak to my son because he does not really talk yet since he’s so young,” she concluded. “I need to be able to hold him and reassure him that he is safe and that his mother is here for him.”
Mirian’s story sounds all too familiar. Dozens of children have been separated from their families following the Trump administration’s harsh border patrol policies. Thankfully, a federal judge recent issued a ruling that all separated migrant kids be reunited with their parents immediately.
Watch the full video above.