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Statement

Congress Must Cap Detention Beds in DHS Funding

February 11, 2019
Immigration

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Statement of Khadija Gurnah, immigration campaign director of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the negotiations over the Department of Homeland Security budget:

“The Trump administration – and specifically the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – has demonstrated a horrifying, disgraceful willingness to violate human rights by separating children from their families, detaining asylum-seekers without cause, and imprisoning families indefinitely. It is past time for Congress to step in, starting with limiting the number of detention beds ICE can use for immigrants arrested within the country. A cap on these beds will force DHS to start acting responsibly and reinstate case management programs that allow immigrants to live with family members in their communities while they await their hearings. The number of detention beds is at a historic high and nobody can credibly argue that the reduced number Democrats are proposing would be inadequate. The moms of America want the Trump administration to stop its heartless treatment of immigrants, stop violating their human rights, and stop putting the health and well-being of moms and children at risk. Every immigrant and every asylum-seeker deserves to be treated with compassion, dignity and respect.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.