Make-A-Wish requests that volunteers please not report kids dying of cancer to ICE
When I was a teenager, I was fortunate enough to receive a trip from Make-A-Wish. It was possibly the only good thing to come out of a torturous childhood illness. I’ve wanted to give back for some time and recently reached out to volunteer. During that process, I encountered the most dystopian thing I’ve seen in recent memory.
When signing up to volunteer for Make-A-Wish, you are asked to pledge not to report undocumented kids with cancer to immigration enforcement.
Make-A-Wish policy does not require a wish family to show proof of residency to be eligible for our program.
[W]e do encounter families without legal immigration status. All volunteers are bound by a Conflict of Interest & Ethics Assurance Statement. This document states that, “During my involvement with [Make-A-Wish] and thereafter, I will maintain the confidentiality of any information regarding [Make-A-Wish], wish children and their families, donors and volunteers that has not been released publicly, unless legally obligated to do otherwise.”
On one hand: thank you Make-A-Wish for standing up for what’s right. Immigration status should be completely irrelevant to living a fulfilling life.
On the other hand: holy shit, we live in an incredibly fucked up country where organizations need to beg their prospective volunteers to please not to report kids dying of cancer to immigration enforcement.
Make-A-Wish does valuable work in providing kids faced with potentially-terminal illnesses a bright thing to look forward to.1 If you’re feeling generous, consider donating to them!
Please note that despite receiving a wish from Make-A-Wish when I was younger, I have absolutely no current association with the organization.↩