FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Texas, March 25, 2022— Yesterday, a devastating mass shooting resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 

Gladis Molina Alt, Executive Director of the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, said: 

“There are no words to describe the tragedy that happened in Uvalde yesterday. The pain the families and parents who lost their children are feeling right now is indescribable. Our hearts are with them as they mourn the lives of their loved ones. 

Every child deserves the right to be safe and live free from harm. Yet children face mass shootings in schools, shopping malls, and places of worship with terrifying frequency. Far too many of this country’s children experience smaller but no less lethal acts of gun violence in their neighborhoods every day.  

Every instance of violence—whether it be in their school or in their communities—impacts children’s ability to learn, grow, and develop. Parents, families, and communities endure the trauma alongside their children while carrying the burden of helping children to recover. 

Congress has utterly failed to take the steps necessary to prevent this violence, to protect children’s lives and the health and safety of their communities. As a result, preventable mass shootings continue and daily gun violence rips through our communities. We call on Congress to meet its obligation to lead, and to take the steps necessary to end the bloodshed.   

We refuse to give up on creating safe spaces for all children, and we believe that change is possible; otherwise, we would not do this work every day serving immigrant children. Congress must prioritize our children and act on meaningful gun reform now. We urge everyone to join our community of advocates in calling on Congress to do just that.” 

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The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a non-profit organization that protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children and advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first. For press inquiries, please contact Anabel Mendoza at media@theyoungcenter.org