First Focus

Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard in cooperation with Human Impact Partners, First Focus, and the Women’s Refugee Commission cordially invites you to a briefing on Health Impacts of the Immigration System on Children and Families

Reform of U.S. immigration policy will not only decide the future of 11 million undocumented immigrants but also profoundly affect the health and well-being of their children, many of whom are citizens by birth. A new study finds strong evidence that the children of undocumented immigrants are harmed by current detention and deportation policies, and that immigration reform that prioritizes keeping families together will have far-reaching benefits for these children and our society.

The study, Family Unity, Family Health: How Family-Focused Immigration Reform Will Mean Better Health, is a health impact assessment of the consequences of continuing current federal immigration policies. It finds that without reforms that create a clear path to citizenship, each year hundreds of thousands of children will suffer poorer physical and mental health, lower educational achievement, and increased poverty and hunger.

Speakers include:

• Lili Farhang: Co-Director of Human Impact Partners (HIP), lead researcher and author of the report

• Wendy Cervantes (Moderator): Vice President, Immigration and Child Rights Policy at First Focus

• Dr. Alan Shapiro: Senior Medical Director, Community Pediatric Programs, Children's Hospital at Montefiore and Children's Health Fund

• Parent: Whose family is impacted by our immigration system (invited)