Take Action for Human Rights

Demand Investigations of Child Detention Facilities Now!

© Jonathan Kirn for Getty Images

Hundreds of children — even babies — have been reportedly held in U.S. Border Patrol facilities without a chance to bathe, brush their teeth or change their clothes for weeks. There are reports of extreme cold and inadequate food, sanitation and medical care.

Enough is enough: it is an outrage that children are being detained, especially in these appalling conditions.

The U.S. government is defying international law while heartlessly putting infants and children in harm’s way. We cannot stand by idly and ignore this crisis.

Demand that your Member of Congress launch an investigation into the unsafe conditions of child detention facilities by taking action now!

⬇ Make Your Voice Heard ⬇

Dear Representative {contact_data~lastName}:

In light of recent news detailing horrific conditions for children and families in Customs and Border Protection holding facilities, including the facilities in Clint, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley, I am writing to urge you to take immediate action. These stations dehumanize people coming to our country in search of safety and endanger their lives. In just the past six months, we have learned that at least five children have died during or shortly after being held in these deadly facilities. We anticipate more revelations of human rights abuses in the future.

There is a human rights crisis at our border, and now is an urgent time to act. I call on you to:

-   Immediately launch an investigation into the treatment of migrants and asylum-seekers being held in these dangerous facilities. As news trickles out about children falling sick and languishing in appalling conditions and adults pinning desperate notes to the windows of the cages in which they are being held, there is so much more we need to know. I urge you to launch an investigation to (1) provide the public with a basic accounting of how many people are being held — including families and children — in what conditions, and for how long; (2) determine the circumstances that led to the deaths of five children during or shortly following custody in border facilities; and (3) understand how, if at all, DHS is improving its practices in response to the shocking news about these facilities.

-   Urge relevant Committees to hold hearings on the conditions faced by migrants, including families and children, in these facilities. The administration must be held accountable for the abuses taking place at the border. I urge you to work with other Members of Congress to hold oversight hearings in relevant Committees (including Judiciary and Homeland Security) to demand concrete answers from Department of Homeland Security officials about what they are doing to respond to the human rights crisis at the border.

-   Pass legislation mandating that the government ensure minimum humanitarian standards and adequate independent oversight of these facilities, as well as robust alternatives to them. The treatment of people seeking protection at our border desperately needs reform. Children aren’t meant to be in these facilities for over 72 hours, yet children and adults in facilities along the border are reportedly being held for weeks at a time. Congress must immediately act to codify this standard as well as basic standards of care for those in border custody. Congress must also ensure that there is adequate independent monitoring of and access to these facilities, which are notoriously difficult for the public to access. Finally, Congress must consider alternatives to the current regime of detention at the border, and consider better, more humane reception options for people seeking protection here.

Sincerely,

{user_data~firstName}

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