When Charlotte Willner saw the image of a crying 2-year-old watching as her mother was searched and detained along the U.S.-Mexico border, Willner’s reaction was visceral. She and her husband, Dave, have a daughter around the same age. They couldn’t imagine their daughter feeling that sheer terror.
Sometimes people say a picture is worth 1,000 words. But that picture, by Getty photographer John Moore, is now worth much more than that. It’s what spurred the California couple to launch a fundraising campaign on Facebook for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), which pays the bonds and legal fees of parents and children separated at the border.
They wanted to raise $1,500, enough to help one family. But as of early Tuesday afternoon, that amount was at $5 million.
The Willners are flabbergasted by the support.
“Regardless of political party, so many of us are distraught over children being separated from their parents at the border,” Charlotte said. “We can’t all be on the front lines to help these families, but by supporting RAICES, we’re able to do something that just takes less than a minute, and collectively have an impact.”