Mother’s Day in Jail: The Obama Administration’s Detention of Women & Children Fleeing Violence

Hundreds of the mothers and children who fled persecution and violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala will spend this Mother’s Day in U.S. immigration detention. The Obama Administration has kept some of these families behind bars for nearly a year and in March the administration requested that Congress appropriate $345.3 million to fund a sharp increase in the number of mothers and children held in detention.

The U.S. policy of detaining asylum seeking families with children is unjust and inconsistent with American ideals. This policy, designed to “send a message” to deter other asylum seekers from seeking U.S. protection, violates basic concepts of liberty and due process, as well as international human rights law.