From Governor Dan Malloy:
Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that the state toolkit he released last month that provides user-friendly, step-by-step resources and forms for parents and guardians who have concerns about immigration enforcement and its potential impact on the custody of their children is now available to download in nine languages: Arabic, English, French, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
The state’s Family Preparedness Plan is designed to provide information on steps people can take on their own to ensure that their children–who themselves may be United States citizens–remain in safe custody with a “standby guardian” of their own choosing should the child’s parents or guardians be detained or deported. Having parents designate a standby guardian also prevents these children from being placed in state care.It can be downloaded online in all nine languages through the Governor’s website by visiting portal.ct.gov/FamilyPreparedness.
“We want to make sure that people have a plan in place should immigration action separate their families,” Governor Malloy said. “I strongly encourage anyone with these kinds of concerns to utilize this toolkit, fill out the forms, and store them in a safe location.”
There is no cost to fill out any of the forms contained in this toolkit and they may be completed without the involvement of attorneys or any court. The guide also includes information on where to find immigration legal assistance, and guidance on how to avoid immigration scams.
It has been distributed to a number of partnering organizations throughout Connecticut, including town governments, school districts, libraries, legal services organizations, and the United Way 2-1-1. Other groups are encouraged to download it and share it with interested parties who may find it useful.
The United Way of Connecticut provided assistance in translating the documents.
“The Governor’s Family Preparedness Plan provides very important information to many of our newer families in Connecticut and helps them to take the necessary steps to protect their children should the family be separated suddenly,” United Way of Connecticut President and CEO Richard J. Porth said. “We support this effort to make this information accessible to Connecticut’s diverse population.”
It is estimated that there are around 22,000 children living in Connecticut who are U.S. citizens and have parents who are undocumented immigrants. If all of their parents were deported and the children placed into state care, the cost to the state is estimated to exceed around $630 million.
