In 2019, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds donated $2 million to protect immigrant children’s rights; here's how it helped

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively have donated to several causes, from helping organisations feed people to supporting environmental protection. One of their notable contributions came in 2019, when the Hollywood couple donated $2 million to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) and the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights to advance racial justice and protect immigrant children. The donation led to the creation of the Waymaker Fund for Immigrant Children, which supports efforts to protect the rights and best interests of immigrant children separated from their families.

The fund provides financial support to the Young Center’s Child Advocate Program, which brings together attorneys, social workers and volunteers to advocate for immigrant children who arrive in the United States without their parents or are forcibly separated from them. It also supports efforts to defend children's rights and promote an immigration system that recognises their specific needs.

In a statement at the time, the Young Center said, “Their donation will help ensure that the most vulnerable immigrant children – who are in detention facing deportation – will have an advocate to protect their rights and their best interests.”


Maria Woltjen, then executive director of the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, also highlighted the importance of the contribution.

“Children are escaping rampant violence and persecution to seek safe haven in the U.S. The Waymaker Fund for Immigrant Children, created with this gift, is needed now more than ever. We are so moved by Blake and Ryan's kindness and their generosity,” Woltjen said.

What does the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights do?

The Young Center is a human rights organisation that works to protect and advance the rights and best interests of immigrant children. It advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first and ensures their needs are considered in decisions affecting their lives.

Its Child Advocate Program assigns trained advocates to children navigating the immigration system. These advocates work to ensure that officials consider the children's safety, well-being and best interests.

How has family separation affected immigrant children in the US?

During Donald Trump's first administration, the federal government implemented a zero-tolerance policy that led to the separation of thousands of migrant children from their parents or guardians. Some children, including infants, spent time in overcrowded border facilities while their cases were processed.

Family separation has remained a concern amid subsequent immigration enforcement measures. A detailed report by The Atlantic recently highlighted how the deportation of parents without their children has raised concerns about a new family-separation crisis.

A report by the Brookings Institution estimated that approximately 205,000 children, including about 145,000 US citizen children, had been affected by the second Trump administration's immigration policies. It also estimated that around 22,000 US citizen children could be left without a parent in their household because of detention.

What happens to children when their parents are detained or deported?

The consequences can vary depending on a family's circumstances. Children who lack legal immigration status may themselves face detention or deportation, while many children whose parents are detained or deported are US citizens.

According to Brookings, some children may travel to their parents' country of origin when a parent is deported. However, the US government does not publish systematic data on how often US citizen children are taken abroad with deported parents.

Other children remain in the United States without a parent at home. In some cases, authorities may not know that children have been left behind. Parents may also avoid contact with the child welfare system, even when their children have limited care options.

These circumstances can leave children facing uncertainty over their care, safety and future.

The Waymaker Fund for Immigrant Children was established to help address the vulnerabilities immigrant children face by supporting advocates who can represent their interests. The fund's work highlights how private philanthropy can help organisations provide legal and social support to children navigating a complex immigration system.