Important Child Protections in Immigration Reform Bill

Earlier this week the United States Senate Judiciary Committee finished adding fifty (50) amendments to a significant immigration reform bill. Those amendments were joined by another thirty-five (35) and last night the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 to pass the bill and it will be presented to the Senate after the Memorial Day recess.

Notable in the bill was a fully supported amendment designed to protect children of affected by immigration enforcement actions. The amendment essentially incorporates a piece of legislation known as the "Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections for Separated Children Act" ("HELP Separated Children Act"). The HELP Act provides that within two hours of detainment, the detaining authority will inquire as to whether the individual is a parent or primary caregiver for a child in the U.S. and allow them a minimum of two phone calls to arrange for care of the child and provide the individual with the contact information for child