As migrants await their future, their children get a chance to play

Most of them are living with their parents in hotel rooms, in Cheektowaga and now Amherst, as their families await the next step in the asylum process.

They face one of the same issues as their parents: There’s not much they can do as they wait for their next immigration court dates.

They didn’t have toys. There’s no pool. There’s limited space at the hotels. All they can do is wait.

Elizabeth Meg Williams, a mental health counselor in the Buffalo school district, wanted to try to offer something to those children. She heard about what was happening through her friend Jennifer Connor, the executive director of Justice for Migrant Families, an organization that’s been working with the migrants, helping to provide legal aid and other support.

“You’re telling me they’re sitting in a hotel hallway having nothing to do all day? They’re not allowed out?” Williams recalled being told.

She couldn’t stand the thought of it.

“Play is essential not only for healing but breaking down barriers. Play is the most important job of a child,” she said.

So Williams switched her summer plans and began working with Justice for Migrant Families.

She shared what she’s been doing with The Buffalo News. She also spoke with WKBW Eyewitness News last week.

For four hours every weekday – and many weekend days, too – she brings a car full of whatever toys, books, coloring books and educational material she can find to one of the hotels in Cheektowaga.

Then, in a small outdoor area next to the hotel, she lets the kids play.

“It can be a little chaotic,” she acknowledged.

The children range in age from toddlers to teenagers. They come from many backgrounds and speak an array of languages. Many speak Spanish. Others speak French, Turkish and Dari. Some are just learning to speak.

Williams communicates with them as best she can,…