Breaking Barriers, Reuniting Families
At VECINA, we believe every child deserves to be with the people who love and care for them, regardless of their immigration status. Since 2021, VECINA’s ReUnite Project has been dedicated to ensuring that detained unaccompanied immigrant children in the United States are quickly reunited with their loved ones. We have assisted with the reunification needs of over 1,400 children from 31 countries, speaking 29 different languages, and have seen firsthand the profound impact family reunification has on the lives of these vulnerable children and their loved ones.
ReUnite is the only project in the United States dedicated to offering scaled, pro bono legal services specifically for the family members and other loves ones—known as “sponsors”—who are seeking the release of these children. Without ReUnite, many families would have no way of bringing their children home.
Family separation remains a critical issue in the U.S. and, while there is federal funding to support detained unaccompanied children, there is no such funding to support their loved ones in the reunification process. Without community investment, the ReUnite Project is at risk, leaving the loved ones of detained immigrant children with no one to turn to for legal support in the reunification process.
To continue reuniting immigrant families, we need your support.
Your contributions will help us:
- Provide free legal services to the families of detained children.
- Shorten the time children spend in detention facilities.
- Offer culturally appropriate language interpretation services
- Advocate for systemic changes that will improve reunification processes for unaccompanied children.
REUNITE PROJECT FUNDRAISING GOAL: $50,000
We have currently raised $13,165 toward our goal.
If you are interested in considering a donation match, please contact ReUnite Project Director Molly Chew at molly@vecina.org.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to The Walt Disney Company for being a valued partner of VECINA, not only through their generous $10,000 contribution to our 2024 ReUnite Fundraising Campaign, but also for their dedicated volunteer support in helping reunite immigrant children with their loved ones.