Evan Rachel Wood, Actress, To Continue Day 2 of Immigration Fast and Prayer Chain

Evan Rachel Wood arrives in South Texas in solidarity with the over 2400 children who were separated to participate in the 24-day fast and prayer chain to protest family separations and cruel detention of families at the border

McAllen, TX—The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy has set off a humanitarian crisis along the U.S./Mexico border, unjustly separated over 2,400 children from their parents. In their response to criticism from across the political spectrum, the administration has moved toward the indefinite detention of families as the “solution.” This is not only immoral, it is also illegal under U.S. and international law.

La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP), Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and Neta will protest these wrongful actions that hurt the immigrant community of the Rio Grande Valley through a 24-hour hunger strike and prayer chain that will last 24 days, in honor of the more than 2,400 children separated from their parents.

Fasting as a means of nonviolent protest is a historic tool utilized by Cesar Chavez, the founder of La Union del Pueblo Entero, in resistance to the injustice faced by farm workers of Mexican descent. Cesar’s commitment to nonviolent protest, including his fasts, won the support and friendship of Robert F. Kennedy to the farm worker cause.

This event reflects the lasting bond between the work of Cesar Chavez, the Texas Civil Rights Project, and the Kennedy family. TCRP represented UFW members in major lawsuits such as the inclusion of farm workers in the benefits of unemployment and workers compensation insurance, among others. The Kennedy family accompanied Cesar as he broke his first fast in 1968. We all stand united with courage against the actions taken by administration officials and Border Patrol that are inflicting enormous harm on immigrant families at the border.