FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Tom Hargis, Director of Communications, ACLU of Texas, 832.291.4776, [email protected]
Houston – Today the U.S. government announced new measures to respond to the influx of unaccompanied children entering the country’s southern border. In a memo released by the White House, the Obama administration acknowledged the humanitarian crisis and laid out programs and plans to respond to the situation, including increased enforcement of immigration laws. Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson visited the Rio Grande Valley to announce the opening a new family detention center to house immigrant children and families.
The following can be attributed to Terri Burke, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas:
“We don’t believe putting children and families in detention is the American way and, based on our experience with the T. Don Hutto immigrant detention center, we don’t think the world of nations will tolerate such an inhumane policy. Instead of detention and expedited deportation proceedings, the better act on the part of our government would be to bring an army of immigration specialists to the border and start processing these refugees’ petitions so that people aren’t forced to wait nearly two years, the current average wait.”
The following can be attributed to Adriana Piñon, senior staff attorney, ACLU of Texas:
"Given the dire circumstances that many of these children and families are fleeing—a fact the government has acknowledged—it’s important that every individual who’s apprehended is screened adequately for available relief under the law. While it’s heartening to see the government acknowledge the need to protect those who seek asylum, their emphasis on detention and deportation is extremely troubling.”
The following can be attributed to Astrid Dominguez, advocacy coordinator, ACLU of Texas:
“The administration has acknowledged that this is a humanitarian crisis, yet they default to mass detention of families even when their track record is filled with abusive treatment. These are children fleeing violence and persecution, risking their lives just to survive. This is a time for compassion and American values, not more enforcement and less due process."
