The Trump administration issued a rule permitting the indefinite detention of immigrant children. This will upend the Flores Settlement, a decades-old agreement which requires that children generally be released from detention within 20 days.
We have seen the detrimental effects of long-term detention on children at the largest detention center in the country, located in Dilley, Texas. We have provided critical legal services to children for almost five years with the American Immigration Lawyers Association and other partners. Children refuse to eat, and sick children are regularly denied medical care.
The new rule is cruel and senseless—especially because there are alternatives to detention that are less costly and more humane.
If the rule goes into effect, American Immigration Council we will continue fighting for the families detained in Dilley to ensure they have a chance of being released from detention and a fair day in court.
For more information you can consult the press conference of the Secretary of National Security, Kevin K. McAleenan