ANCOR Releases Statement on Separation of Immigrant Families

As shared in our June 23 statement:

“For nearly 50 years, ANCOR has represented providers whose unwavering commitment to the families they serve has made it possible for people of all abilities to live and thrive within their communities. As part of that commitment, our members work tirelessly to ensure that after decades in which children with intellectual and developmental disabilities were separated from their families, they can stay where they belong: at home and in their communities with their families.

At the heart of these efforts is one simple and fundamental belief: families belong together.

ANCOR believes that keeping families together is a critical component in a person’s quest to lead a rich and fulfilling life, both for people with disabilities and for everyone else. That is why our hearts break when we see young children separated from their parents and loved ones at the U.S.-Mexico border.

It’s also why ANCOR supports action by Congress and the Trump Administration to immediately reunite separated children with their families and to proactively keep all children—and especially children with disabilities—at home and in their communities with their families where they belong.

News coverage of the separation of families along the southern U.S. border can be harrowing, but at moments like these, it’s important that we raise our voices to assert our beliefs. As ANCOR President Angela King reminded us all when we gathered for this year’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, quoting Esther, ‘Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.’”