Spent the day touring the Emergency Intake Site at the Long Beach Convention Center & want to share thoughts. Our tour concluded about an hr before the first group of unaccompanied children arrived, & tomorrow myself & team @ImmDef will be back to begin providing legal services.

On the tour were multiple elected officials from Long Beach, including @LongBeachMayor, who reiterated throughout the day his hope that this facility will be a reflection of Long Beach’s rich history of welcoming immigrants and that these children will be met with love and care.

The Mayor’s call for meeting this moment w/ compassion translated into the facility which has been nicely decorated & seemed well equipped to house the 1000+ children who are expected. In the sleeping area large pink butterflies are projected onto walls giving a mural-like effect

The large room where kids will sleep is divided into pods using curtains. The pods are equipped with about 30 cots each with new bedding, books (including some from @LilLibros), toys and clothes laid on top. There were also couches and plants to make it feel more homelike.

There was also a rec area set up with soccer nets, hula hoops, tv areas and lots of board games. A really nice touch was a “store” that had been set up where kids can pick out clothes, shoes and other items which the Mayor explained was designed to give the kids back some agency.

We saw a medical unit that was still being set up and will be run by UCLA and also an outdoor rec area, showers and sufficient restrooms. Some of the breakout rooms have also been converted into classrooms, and we were told the kids will receive 3 hours a day of school.

I always tell folks that kids in govt custody need a lawyer more than a teddy bear, & I am happy to say that at least in Long Beach they will have both. Even b4 we requested, ORR set up offices for our team and is providing all equipment needed for us to start services tomorrow.

With the support of the @verainstitute & many community partners assisting us, @ImmDef will provide a “Know Your Rights” class to all kids at the facility + legal consultations, referrals & representation. We will also be an independent presence able to monitor conditions.

Here are some of the photos taken by the pool photographer during our tour today: https://twitter.com/knxmargaret/status/1385339031022493699

The measure of success of this facility will not just be how well they care for kids, but ultimately how quickly they can reunite them w/ family. No child should spend a moment longer in government custody than is absolutely necessary to ensure their safe reunification.

We know the damage done when kids are separated from their families. This is why quick, safe reunifications are so important. @MotherJones & @nlanard reported today on @ImmDef case that demonstrated this profound and horrific impact on all involved: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/04/when-will-the-us-end-magdalena-hernandezs-family-separation-nightmare/

The measure of success for advocates is whether we are back in this situation again next year. If a year from now we again have children sleeping in convention centers b/c it is relatively safer than children sleeping in overcrowded hieleras under mylar blankets, we have failed.

We were told on the tour that some boys will also be at the facility in part because they don’t want to separate very young boys from older girl siblings. As I stared at the cot with toddler boy shoes underneath I though of my own daughter (11) and son (6) and started to tear up.

What I want for the kids who will be sheltered in Long Beach is the same thing I would want for my own kids:

To be kept safe.

To be reunited with their families as soon as humanly possible.

To have a fighting chance to access justice.

To be #WelcomeWithDignity.

We have a hell of lot of work to do.

First, we must welcome these kids to CA with love.

Second, we need to take this moment to entirely reimagine the system for processing kids and build a system that truly focus on the best interests of all children. #EndTitle42 #LetsDoThis