Aaliyah The Brave: Empowering Children Coping With Immigration Enforcement

Rekha Sharma-Crawford

"Aaliyah is every child who has ever known the heartbreak of having a parent forcibly removed from the home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She is the voiceless, and faceless child that is often forgotten in a system more focused on separation than reunification. Silent and silenced, she struggles alone unable to describe-let alone overcome- all the things she is feeling. Aaliyah is also hope. She is the light that demands to be noticed and a cry that needs to be heard. She is the future that demands that immigration laws and enforcement include her in their considerations. She is the spirit of liberty and the essence of childhood. Designed as a resource for parents, teachers, social workers, advocates, and lawyers, Aaliyah The Brave helps readers understand the impact immigration enforcement can have on children and what emotions children may feel in the aftermath. When immigration officials come to Aaliyah’s home and take her father, she and her family find themselves coping with a variety of emotions. As they prepare themselves for the legal proceedings in Immigration Court, Aaliyah realizes how brave she is, and the family realizes how important communication about what is happening helps to empower her."