RAICES Is Making Sure You Don’t Forget the U.S. Put Kids in Cages

In case you have put it out of your head, you should remember, the U

installation — Photo: Twitter/@MatthewEarle

June 12, 2019 - 10:12

In case you have put it out of your head, you should remember, the U.S. government put children in cages. It’s a shocking part of our history that continues to occur in some way or another, and we should never forget that. The treatment of undocumented migrants in the U.S. is appalling, and we must continue to speak out against it. That’s is precisely what RAICES — an advocate for undocumented people — is seeking to do with an art installation in New York City.

RAICES, a nonprofit organization based in Texas, came into the spotlight during the height of the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy when they used the inhumane tactic of separating children from their families. They have been working with undocumented people in a variety of ways, including providing them with legal representation and mental health services. They are also equipped with supporters nationwide.

Outside the Y in Park Slope, gym to a presidential candidate. NYPD started removing it right after this pic. It’ll be gone before he arrives #NoKidsInCages pic.twitter.com/bhfuzsDbzr

— Matt Law (@aboutmattlaw) June 12, 2019

Today, all over Manhattan and Brooklyn, art installations that consist of a caged child under an aluminum blanket will be placed in several locations as a reminder of what the government did. However, the New York Police Department is also taking them down. People on social media have been quick to say that while the child in the art installation is fake, the real children behind cages and in detention centers remain all over the country. An estimated 3,000 children, possibly thousands more were separated from their families, many of which remain unaccounted for and continue to be without their families due to the fact the government did not track the process correctly.

https://twitter.com/MatthewEarle/status/1138779166009114627?s=20

“Guerrilla installations popped up early this morning in NYC as protest to the more than 3000 children separated from their parents at the border,” RAICES tweeted. “This is not history. This is happening now. #NoKidsInCages is about the children. We cannot be a nation that separates families.”

They added, “Police here with a chainsaw. The State can act rapidly to put a stop to the art installation, but every night, over 13,000 children are locked up for the crime of seeking a safe haven. Know this: the system is working as designed.”

Let's get it out of the way so it's good folks don't have to deal with these uncomfortable truths. Let's carry on the business of capitalism #nokidsincages pic.twitter.com/gWFxrgSFx5

— Realz (@RealzTenisFanz) June 12, 2019

According to PIX11, organizers want the art installation to be “an emotional, provocative, multi-sensory experience that represents the conditions that children are being subjected to at the border due to the Department of Justice’s Zero Tolerance Immigration Enforcement Policy.”

If you’re in New York and would like to see the art installation for yourself before cops take it down, the outlet provided a list of locations, which we will include below: