AUSTIN, TX — As communities across Central Texas grapple with the intensifying human toll of federal immigration policies, local advocates are stepping up efforts to provide education, solidarity, and actionable support. On Thursday, September 10, 2026, the Children’s Defense Fund-Texas (CDF-TX) alongside The Immigrant Services Network of Austin (ISNA)—a collaborative workgroup comprising diverse community stakeholders and immigrant service providers—will host a vital community meeting to address how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detentions, deportations, and enforcement actions are profoundly impacting Austin children and families.
The upcoming public gathering, titled the “Free Families” event, is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the SAFE Alliance facility, located at 4800 Manor Road, Building B, in Austin. Designed as an evening centered on art, advocacy, and community connection, the event aims to shed light on how harmful immigration enforcement practices ripple outward, affecting the daily lives, safety, and well-being of all Austin residents, regardless of their background.
Organizers have curated a comprehensive program that will feature presentations from community leaders, grassroots advocates, and directly impacted individuals. These speakers will share personal testimonies and expert insights regarding how state-sponsored violence and anti-immigrant policies have reshaped the social landscape of Central Texas. Beyond traditional panel discussions, attendees will be invited to engage in an interactive art-as-advocacy campaign, providing a creative outlet to express solidarity and raise awareness. Furthermore, the gathering will serve as a bridge connecting concerned residents with local organizations, offering clear pathways for meaningful civic engagement through volunteering, mutual aid networks, and ongoing advocacy work.
Trudy Taylor Smith, Esq., the Senior Administrator of Policy and Advocacy at CDF-TX, emphasized that the Free Families event is designed to be a crucial platform for education and mobilization. She noted that the gathering will give Austin residents a comprehensive look at the current threats facing immigrant families while equipping them with the practical tools and relationships necessary to stand in solidarity with their immigrant neighbors.
“Every child in America deserves to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy,” Taylor Smith said. “Yet hundreds of thousands of young people across Texas are living in constant fear because so-called immigration ‘enforcement’ threatens to separate them from their families, lock them up in detention facilities where they are systematically abused and neglected, and deport them to countries where their lives are at risk. Through this event, our goal is to provide Austin residents with a clear understanding of how these cruel policies impact local communities, and to equip them with the relationships, information, and tools they need to support their immigrant neighbors.”
The urgency of the discussion comes against a backdrop of sweeping federal immigration measures enacted during the second term of President Donald Trump. According to recent reports and advocacy data, federal immigration enforcement actions have surged nationwide, placing unprecedented strain on mixed-status families and children. Statistical data indicates that more than 6,200 children have been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since the administration’s broader enforcement push began. Additionally, the parents of more than 146,000 U.S. citizen children have been subjected to detention across the United States, leaving countless households fractured and destabilized.
The repercussions of these mass enforcement policies are acutely felt within the state of Texas. Hundreds of families have been processed and held at the South Texas Family Residential Center located in Dilley, Texas. Human rights reports and journalistic investigations have revealed deeply troubling conditions within the Dilley facility, where young people and their parents have reportedly been denied adequate food, clean drinking water, and essential medical care, drawing sharp condemnation from child advocacy and humanitarian organizations alike.
By bringing the conversation directly to the local level in Austin, CDF-TX and ISNA hope to counter the climate of fear with community-driven solidarity. The event highlights the growing intersection between child welfare advocacy and immigrant rights, reinforcing the principle that the well-being of a community depends on the safety and security of all its families.
The Children’s Defense Fund, founded in 1973, has long operated as a leading national, multi-issue advocacy organization working at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice. Envisioning a nation where marginalized children flourish and community leaders prioritize their needs, CDF champions policies for America’s diverse generation of youth. Through grassroots movements and programs such as the renowned CDF Freedom Schools initiative—which operates in nearly 100 cities across 30 states and territories—the organization continues to build power for child-centered public policy informed by racial equity and lived experiences.
Local residents, community advocates, service providers, and allies interested in learning more about the Free Families event or getting involved with ongoing advocacy efforts in Austin can find further information through the Children’s Defense Fund-Texas or by reaching out to local event organizers.
