This year on Valentine’s Day, students and staff from the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC) and the HLS Immigration Project sent dozens of Valentine’s Day cards and letters of support to children in detention as part of the “Love Letters to Kids” campaign, which is run by TODEC in Perris, CA. This project, which began in May 2018, was created by TODEC’s Youth Groups and, to date, has sent over 10,000 letters to children in detention centers in Arizona, California, and Texas.
Creating these cards was a sobering reminder that there are still so many young people who are currently living in detention centers across the U.S. Unlike their U.S. citizen peers, they will not be able to share candy and cards with loved ones on a day to celebrate love. The “Love Letters to Kids” campaign also served as a reminder of how we must continue to advocate for the rights of those currently in detention who are seeking safety and refuge in the U.S.
Thanks to Harvard College’s Act on a Dream for letting us know about this beautiful campaign and a huge thanks to TODEC for coordinating this effort.