Tell Congress to end immigration family detention and protect children’s rights.
No child should be detained. Period.
Think about what childhood should look like: learning, playing, growing, being with family. Now imagine fluorescent lights that never go off at bedtime. The fear and uncertainty. Families struggling to access basic necessities.
This is what children have said happens inside ICE’s Dilley facility in Texas. Families report horrific conditions, going hungry, without proper medical care or clean drinking water, cut off from loved ones, and held in confinement for weeks and even months.
There is no safe, humane way to detain a child.
Closing Dilley is an urgent first step, but children should not be detained anywhere. Many of these families have lived here for years, dutifully going through the immigration process. They belong in their communities while their cases move forward.
Meanwhile, the government has written a blank check for immigration enforcement, more children are being swept into detention, and the administration is seeking to eliminate the Flores Settlement. For decades, Flores has required the prompt release of children from immigration custody and established minimum standards for their care and treatment.
These protections have never been more critical, as children face prolonged detention in increasingly dangerous and inhumane conditions.
But let’s be clear: protecting children from unacceptable conditions isn’t enough. We must stop detaining them in the first place.
Congress has the power and responsibility to act. Tell lawmakers to close Dilley, protect Flores, and take meaningful action to end the detention of children.
Immigrant children, like every child, deserve care, not confinement. Sign the petition.