Post by bot on Jun 5, 2015 16:32:53 GMT -5
Hoyer, House Democrats Send Letter to Secretary Johnson Raising Concerns About Unacceptable Conditions in Family Detention Centers
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined 135 House Democrats in sending a letter today to Jeh Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, urging the Department to end the practice of detaining mothers and children who are seeking asylum from Central America in family detention centers. The letter, which was spearheaded by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) and Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), says the practice is “detrimental to mothers and children and is not reflective of our nation’s values.”
“We cannot hear reports of serious harm to children in custody and do nothing about it,” the letter states. “Detaining mothers and children in jail-like settings is not the answer. We have an opportunity to do the right thing and are confident that DHS has the capacity to honor our Nation’s longstanding commitment both to the protection and well-being of refugee families and to law enforcement and public safety.”
“I am extremely concerned by reports of unacceptable conditions for families in detention centers,” stated Whip Hoyer. “After fleeing violence and poverty, many of those being held have already endured hardship in their native countries and en route to the United States. Detaining children puts them at risk of medical and developmental problems, and these facilities lack proper medical care and other basic resources necessary to keep these children in good health. Our immigration policies ought to be based on our common humanity, and I thank Reps. Lofgren, Roybal-Allard, and Gutiérrez for their leadership in bringing attention to this issue.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
1.usa.gov/1LJdI0K