10-year-old Rosa Maria Hernandez, who has cerebral palsy and underwent emergency gallbladder surgery last Tuesday, has been in an immigration detention center for six days without seeing her parents. (Photo: @EdgarANavarrete/Twitter)
Oct 30, 2017
Supporters of Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year-old child who was taken into custody by federal immigration officials from a hospital last week, are joining with the ACLU in demanding her immediate release.
MoveOn.org joined the campaign, stressing in a tweet that the girl's detention exemplifies the truth behind the Trump administration's repeated lie that this year's surge in immigration arrests is aimed at keeping Americans safe.
\u201c@realDonaldTrump @CustomsBorder #RosaMaria is not a threat. #Trump is the threat. #FreeRosa\u201d— MoveOn (@MoveOn) 1509329692
The American Civil Liberties Union introduced the hashtag campaign #FreeRosa in support of the young girl, who has cerebral palsy and has been in an immigration detention center since last Tuesday, without being able to see her parents.
Hundreds of Twitter users have used the hashtag, with many calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) treatment of Hernandez "disgusting" and "heartbreaking."
The young girl, who is an undocumented immigrant, was detained last Tuesday after an ambulance carrying her to a hospital in Texas for emergency surgery was stopped at a checkpoint. ICE agents then waited outside her hospital room until she was discharged and detained her. Hernandez's doctors have recommended she be released into the care of her family.
In addition to spreading the word on social media, the ACLU urged supporters to call the Office of Refugee Settlement to demand that Hernandez be released. By noon on Monday the group reported that more than 2,600 calls had been made.
The rights group also noted that immigration authorities have avoided making arrests at hospitals in the past, and urged them to treat medical centers as a safe location so as not to deter immigrants from seeking medical treatment.
"Border Patrol needs to immediately address and change their policies regarding checkpoints for people seeking medical attention," said the ACLU in a statement. "Border Patrol's decision to target a young girl at a children's hospital is unconscionable and threatens to keep parents and sick children from seeking the healthcare they need if such practices are allowed."
Supporters of the campaign tweeted their own thoughts on Rosa Maria's detention.
\u201c#FreeRosa - because parents shouldn't have to choose to not take their babies to surgery because of checkpoints in between hospitals!\u201d— Alida Garcia (@Alida Garcia) 1509322567
\u201cFor an agency charged with caring for children to be complicit in keeping this child from her family is beyond words. #FreeRosa https://t.co/JixkiKGk4e\u201d— Cecilia Mu\u00f1oz (@Cecilia Mu\u00f1oz) 1509323165
\u201cWhy r so many @DHSgov agnts trying 2 deport a 10yr old girl w/cerebral palsy? How does this make us safer? @ICEgov cease & desist #FreeRosa\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1509322508
\u201cFamily unity, a fundamental human right and integral to our American values. Trump policies should not be destroying these values #FreeRosa\u201d— Dom (@Dom) 1509321869
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Supporters of Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year-old child who was taken into custody by federal immigration officials from a hospital last week, are joining with the ACLU in demanding her immediate release.
MoveOn.org joined the campaign, stressing in a tweet that the girl's detention exemplifies the truth behind the Trump administration's repeated lie that this year's surge in immigration arrests is aimed at keeping Americans safe.
\u201c@realDonaldTrump @CustomsBorder #RosaMaria is not a threat. #Trump is the threat. #FreeRosa\u201d— MoveOn (@MoveOn) 1509329692
The American Civil Liberties Union introduced the hashtag campaign #FreeRosa in support of the young girl, who has cerebral palsy and has been in an immigration detention center since last Tuesday, without being able to see her parents.
Hundreds of Twitter users have used the hashtag, with many calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) treatment of Hernandez "disgusting" and "heartbreaking."
The young girl, who is an undocumented immigrant, was detained last Tuesday after an ambulance carrying her to a hospital in Texas for emergency surgery was stopped at a checkpoint. ICE agents then waited outside her hospital room until she was discharged and detained her. Hernandez's doctors have recommended she be released into the care of her family.
In addition to spreading the word on social media, the ACLU urged supporters to call the Office of Refugee Settlement to demand that Hernandez be released. By noon on Monday the group reported that more than 2,600 calls had been made.
The rights group also noted that immigration authorities have avoided making arrests at hospitals in the past, and urged them to treat medical centers as a safe location so as not to deter immigrants from seeking medical treatment.
"Border Patrol needs to immediately address and change their policies regarding checkpoints for people seeking medical attention," said the ACLU in a statement. "Border Patrol's decision to target a young girl at a children's hospital is unconscionable and threatens to keep parents and sick children from seeking the healthcare they need if such practices are allowed."
Supporters of the campaign tweeted their own thoughts on Rosa Maria's detention.
\u201c#FreeRosa - because parents shouldn't have to choose to not take their babies to surgery because of checkpoints in between hospitals!\u201d— Alida Garcia (@Alida Garcia) 1509322567
\u201cFor an agency charged with caring for children to be complicit in keeping this child from her family is beyond words. #FreeRosa https://t.co/JixkiKGk4e\u201d— Cecilia Mu\u00f1oz (@Cecilia Mu\u00f1oz) 1509323165
\u201cWhy r so many @DHSgov agnts trying 2 deport a 10yr old girl w/cerebral palsy? How does this make us safer? @ICEgov cease & desist #FreeRosa\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1509322508
\u201cFamily unity, a fundamental human right and integral to our American values. Trump policies should not be destroying these values #FreeRosa\u201d— Dom (@Dom) 1509321869
Supporters of Rosa Maria Hernandez, a 10-year-old child who was taken into custody by federal immigration officials from a hospital last week, are joining with the ACLU in demanding her immediate release.
MoveOn.org joined the campaign, stressing in a tweet that the girl's detention exemplifies the truth behind the Trump administration's repeated lie that this year's surge in immigration arrests is aimed at keeping Americans safe.
\u201c@realDonaldTrump @CustomsBorder #RosaMaria is not a threat. #Trump is the threat. #FreeRosa\u201d— MoveOn (@MoveOn) 1509329692
The American Civil Liberties Union introduced the hashtag campaign #FreeRosa in support of the young girl, who has cerebral palsy and has been in an immigration detention center since last Tuesday, without being able to see her parents.
Hundreds of Twitter users have used the hashtag, with many calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) treatment of Hernandez "disgusting" and "heartbreaking."
The young girl, who is an undocumented immigrant, was detained last Tuesday after an ambulance carrying her to a hospital in Texas for emergency surgery was stopped at a checkpoint. ICE agents then waited outside her hospital room until she was discharged and detained her. Hernandez's doctors have recommended she be released into the care of her family.
In addition to spreading the word on social media, the ACLU urged supporters to call the Office of Refugee Settlement to demand that Hernandez be released. By noon on Monday the group reported that more than 2,600 calls had been made.
The rights group also noted that immigration authorities have avoided making arrests at hospitals in the past, and urged them to treat medical centers as a safe location so as not to deter immigrants from seeking medical treatment.
"Border Patrol needs to immediately address and change their policies regarding checkpoints for people seeking medical attention," said the ACLU in a statement. "Border Patrol's decision to target a young girl at a children's hospital is unconscionable and threatens to keep parents and sick children from seeking the healthcare they need if such practices are allowed."
Supporters of the campaign tweeted their own thoughts on Rosa Maria's detention.
\u201c#FreeRosa - because parents shouldn't have to choose to not take their babies to surgery because of checkpoints in between hospitals!\u201d— Alida Garcia (@Alida Garcia) 1509322567
\u201cFor an agency charged with caring for children to be complicit in keeping this child from her family is beyond words. #FreeRosa https://t.co/JixkiKGk4e\u201d— Cecilia Mu\u00f1oz (@Cecilia Mu\u00f1oz) 1509323165
\u201cWhy r so many @DHSgov agnts trying 2 deport a 10yr old girl w/cerebral palsy? How does this make us safer? @ICEgov cease & desist #FreeRosa\u201d— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano) 1509322508
\u201cFamily unity, a fundamental human right and integral to our American values. Trump policies should not be destroying these values #FreeRosa\u201d— Dom (@Dom) 1509321869
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.