Press Release
Published on October 3, 2016
New York City—Human Rights First today urged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement the draft recommendations put forth by the DHS Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers
“The DHS Advisory Committee’s recommendations reflect what we have known for a long time: that detention centers are no place for children and their families, many of whom have already suffered violence and persecution,” said Human Rights First’s Olga Byrne. “We urge Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to move swiftly to end this harmful and unnecessary practice, and follow the Advisory Committee’s recommendations to address any individualized flight risk by placing families in community-based case management programs that provide medical, mental health, legal, social, and other services.”
Human Rights First has issued multiple reports on the U.S. policy of detaining
the Berks Family Detention Center in Pennsylvania
harmful to children’s health
“Detention of children—for any amount of time—has been shown to exacerbate preexisting trauma and can cause a lifetime of poor health outcomes,” noted Byrne. “The United States must abandon the
Not only is the use of detention harmful to children, it is also exceedingly expensive and not necessary. For cases where additional support is needed to assure appearance for immigration appointments, immigration authorities can use alternative measures that rely on case management and community support.
Human Rights First notes that the Advisory Committee’s recommendations come at a time when the administration is detaining record numbers of asylum seekers. Last month Human Rights First released a new analysis
A broad array of voices have called on the administration to end the practice of detaining families, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Bar Association, Catholic and Lutheran Bishops, and 178 Members of Congress and 35 Senators, and many groups have similarly called for the administration to immediately end deportation raids against families.
