Post by bot on Jul 31, 2015 19:30:23 GMT -5
Hoyer Joins 177 House Democrats in Sending Letter to DHS: End Family Detention Now
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined 177 House Democrats in sending a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calling on the Department to end its controversial Family Detention Program.
The letter, led by U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), comes on the heels of a U.S. District Court ruling late last week that the detention of immigrant women and children violated terms of the 1997 Flores Settlement, and urges DHS to “take all necessary and appropriate steps to bring the Department's practices in line with the settlement agreement and the recent court ruling.”
The letter notes the “strong evidence that such detention is detrimental to mothers and children and is not reflective of our Nation's values,” and that now “is long past time to end family detention.”
“Last week’s court ruling reaffirmed what many of my colleagues and I already recognize: that detaining children in prison-like facilities simply because of the immigration status of their parents is wrong and runs counter to our nation’s highest values," said Whip Hoyer. "The individuals being detained with their children in these centers are seeking asylum, and they ought to be treated with compassion. I visited families being detained in Texas, and I have called on the Department of Homeland Security to cease this practice. I am proud to stand with Rep. Lofgren and 176 other House Democrats to demand an end to the detention of children and families while their immigration cases are pending.”
The full text of the letter in English can be found here and in Spanish here.
Visit www.democraticwhip.gov for more press, floor and member resources.