Children are still being held in chain-link cages at the US-Mexico border, separated from their parents, denied their medications, and locked up in freezing temperatures. At the time of the #NoKidsInCages activation, six children had already died while in U.S. custody. On June 19, RAICES, the nonprofit organization at the frontlines of fighting for separated families at the border launched a guerilla activism project across New York City to call attention to the treatment of children at our border, and to urge people to pressure their representatives to pass the Keep Families Together Act (H.R. 541). The objective of #NoKidsInCages was to stop people from becoming inured to the horror and inhumanity of the border crisis and rouse them to take action.

As we debated the intricacies of releasing a multi-unit installation across New York City, our final question was answered by our guerilla artist consultant, he said, “permits make noise, but illegal gets press.” That’s when we decided #NoKidsInCages would launch as an act of civil disobedience centered on 24 protest pieces.

The takeover dropped life-size cages, with models of children sleeping in them, in 24 different locations throughout the city designed to maximize attention. Locations included the fronts of the NY Times and Fox News buildings, city landmarks, and highly trafficked areas in multiple boroughs. The installations provided a multi-sensory experience, featuring sound from secret recordings smuggled out of the detention centers.