Dear Friend,

Despite a pandemic ravaging the health, well-being, and livelihoods of our communities and neighborhoods, the administration continues to enact policies that put children and youth in harm’s way.

Last week, the Associated Press reported on asylum-seeking families and unaccompanied children detained in hotels by immigration officials. Children have spent days trapped in rooms with ICE officials or contractors, without any oversight or access to lawyers and Child Advocates. Our team has been advocating for their release to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), so they can be appointed Child Advocates and be reunited with their families as quickly as possible. On Monday, the government gave in to public pressure and transferred 17 unaccompanied children from a Texas hotel to ORR. However, DHS continues to unlawfully turn away thousands of other children seeking protection at the border. 

Monday was the deadline for ICE to release children held with their parents in family detention centers. Despite the health risks in detention centers “on fire” with COVID, ICE has refused to release the parents, though there is no law that requires their detention. Rather, ICE is forcing parents to separate from their children or remain in detention and risk COVID together. No parent should have to choose between family separation or risking their children's health and well-being. We continue to advocate with ICE to release all children with their parents and prevent wholly unnecessary family separation and trauma.

Finally, this week DHS announced that it will not follow the Supreme Court’s June decision on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The agency will instead deny new DACA applications and limit renewals for current DACA recipients to one year, rather than two. That decision is in clear violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling. It also perpetuates the uncertainty experienced by young people, many of whom are working on the front lines of health care and other essential services.

While DHS expresses its clear disregard for the law and puts children and young people in harm’s way, the public can act and express its outrage. Sign this petition from our friends at Families Belong Together. Raise your voice on social media and tag ICE and DHS. Share information with friends and encourage them to join you. In the coming weeks, we'll keep you updated on where our fight leads us and other ways for you to take action.

Thank you,
Jennifer Nagda
Policy Director