7 MAR 2023

Immigration Hub: Family Detention Has No Place in a Fair, Orderly and Humane Immigration System

WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, The New York Times reported that the Biden administration is considering reviving the discredited tactic of detaining asylum-seeking families in U.S. detention facilities.

In response, Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub issued the following statement:

“We sincerely hope these reports are absolutely untrue. Family detention is inhumane, un-American and unnecessary. Putting mothers, fathers and babies in prisons would be an appalling return to the worst practices of the past, causing long term psychological harm to children. There are workable alternatives to ensure that those seeking asylum comply with court dates, such as case management programs that produce higher than 90% compliance rates. If reinstituted, a likely outcome is that families will separate to improve their chances of finding safe haven.

“Early on, the Biden administration rightly ended this practice, expanded under the Trump administration. As presidential candidate Joe Biden himself said:

‘Children should be released from ICE detention with their parents immediately. This is pretty simple, and I can’t believe I have to say it: Families belong together.’

“The Biden administration is seeking to find a balance that protects the rights of those fleeing persecution and violence and the desire to enhance the orderliness of asylum processing. Detaining families has no place in this quest. We implore the administration to reject this shameful, retrograde practice.”

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.