Dear John,

I’m writing with an urgent and hopeful update.

On Saturday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted our emergency motion—filed in partnership with the National Immigrant Justice Center—to stop ICE from detaining unaccompanied immigrant children in adult facilities once they turn 18. This ruling enforces a permanent injunction and halts a harmful directive that would have placed newly “aged-out” youth into adult ICE detention centers.

This decision is a profound victory for immigrant youth.

For years, unaccompanied children arriving in the U.S. faced a terrifying milestone: their 18th birthday.

Instead of receiving continued care and support, many were transferred directly into adult ICE jails, where they faced isolation, trauma, and the loss of critical support. Our case with NIJC, Garcia Ramirez v. ICE, successfully challenged this policy and resulted in a permanent injunction in 2021 requiring ICE to consider less restrictive placements for immigrant kids who age out of shelter care. Immigrant youth—many of whom fled violence, persecution, or family separation—deserve protection, not punishment.

Late last week, ICE began implementing a policy change that flew in the face of the final order in Garcia Ramirez. ICE again started to detain young people aging out, rather than allowing them to reunite with family members and other support systems. Multiple youth were set to be detained this past weekend. We went to court to block this policy change and enforce the settlement. The court granted our motion blocking ICE from automatically detaining these young people, resulting in their release.

Legal victories like this are one of the rare tools we have to hold the government accountable—and we need your support to keep winning. Help us protect immigrants by making a gift today.

The court's order also requires transparency: ICE must rescind any detention decisions made under the directive and produce all related policies and review documents. This accountability is essential to ensure that no young person is subjected to unlawful detention moving forward.

Immigration detention is devastating in any form. But for immigrant kids, it compounds trauma and undermines their ability to heal and thrive. This ruling affirms their dignity—and it sends a clear message: we won't allow our systems to retraumatize those who seek safety.

Together, we are building a future where immigrant kids are met with care—not cages—and where their stories are honored, not silenced.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Robbins
Executive Director