Congressional Hispanic Caucus: 80 Members of Congress Call on Trump Administration to Promptly Release Families Together

WASHINGTON, July 1 -- The Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued the following news release:

Eighty House Democrats and Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) led by Chairman Joaquin Castro are demanding the Trump administration safely and swiftly release all parents and children that are in immigration family detention centers following the order of Judge Dolly Gee. In a letter to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Wolf and Acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Albence, the Members of Congress denounced the Trump administration's use of the pandemic to implement cruel and inhumane policies toward immigrants, and urged ICE to seek alternatives to family detention and commit to a permanent policy of family unity.

"Since the COVID-19 crisis started, Members of Congress, advocates, attorneys, and doctors have continuously urged ICE to use its authority to release detained families. We know the Administration has a history of separating thousands of children from their parents. Family separation should never be this country's policy," the Members wrote. "We call upon ICE to act with compassion and release families together. Once these families are free from detention, together, we urge ICE to commit to a permanent policy of family unity and to seek alternatives to family detention- including release on recognizance or community-driven support - in every case."

The letter was signed by CHC Chairman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-13), Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (NY-12), First Vice Chair Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Second Vice Chair Nanette Diaz Barragan (CA-44), Whip Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Freshman Representative Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez (CA-38), Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Congressman Al Green (TX-9), Congressman Albio Sires (NJ-8), Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (CA-7), Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-2), Congressman Anthony Brown (MD-04), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11), Congressman Bill Pascrell (NJ-9), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Congressman Cedric Richmond (LA-2), Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL-7), Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09), Congressman David Price (NC-4), Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01), Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26), Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-5), Congressman Filemon Vela (TX-34), Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (CA-32), Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-6), Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-9), Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-5), Congressman J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Congresswoman Jackie Speier (NY-14), Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-5), Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-2), Congressman Jim Langevin (RI-2), Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-8), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (FL-9), Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04), Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Congressman Joe Neguse (CO-2), Congressman Jose Serrano (NY-15), Congressman Juan Vargas (CA-51), Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26), Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-5), Congressman Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-4), Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33), Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-2), Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41), Congressman Mike Quigley (IL-5), Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-2), Congresswoman Norma Torres (CA-35), Congressman Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Congressman Raul M. Grijalva (AZ-3), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04), Congressman Danny K. Davis (IL-7), Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Congressman Ted Lieu (CA-33), Congressman Tony Cardenas (CA-29), Congressman Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (GA-4), Congressman Jason Crow (CA-6), Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Congressman Adam Smith (WA-9), Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MS-2), Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-3), and Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03).

Full text of the letter follows and can be found here: https://chc.house.gov/sites/congressionalhispaniccaucus.house.gov/files/6.30.20%20-%20Letter%20to%20ICE%20Release%20Parents%20FINAL.pdf

Dear Acting Secretary Wolf and Acting Director Albence:

We write to you to urge you to safely and swiftly release all parents and children that are detained at the Karnes County Residential Center ("Karnes"), the South Texas Family Residential Center ("Dilley"), and the Berks County Residential Center ("Berks")--the three Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") facilities that detain family units with their children--by July 17, 2020.

On Friday, June 26, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Judge Dolly Gee of the United States District Court of the Central District of California ordered ICE to release all children who have been detained for more than twenty days at Karnes, Dilley, and Berks by July 17, 2020. Flores v. Barr, 2:85-cv-4544-DMG-AGR (C.D. Cal. June 26, 2020). Medical experts have continuously warned that detention increases the risk of transmission of the virus among detained individuals and facility staff. As Judge Gee observed, these facilities are now "on fire" due to ICE's failure to ensure "the basics," such as adequate social distancing, masking, and testing, and because of COVID-19 outbreaks in each facility's surrounding area. Flores, at 3. ICE has confirmed that at least 11 children and adults and one GEO employee who works at Karnes, and at least two ICE officials and three CoreCivic employees who work at Dilley, have tested positive for COVID-19.

Just last week, three Members of Congress visited the ICE family detention center in Dilley and spoke with at least six families who are currently detained. After the visit, the Members of Congress raised concerns about the unsafe conditions they witnessed, and the need to immediately release families amid the pandemic. Despite the heightened precautions taken at the Dilley facility during the visit, the Members of Congress who toured the facility were exposed to an ICE officer who tested positive for COVID-19 mere days after the Congressional visit.

Since the COVID-19 crisis started, Members of Congress, advocates, attorneys, and doctors have continuously urged ICE to use its authority to release detained families. Instead of releasing families, ICE has used the pandemic to implement cruel and inhumane policies toward immigrants. For example, in May, following another order from Judge Gee that required ICE conduct individualized release assessments for children in detention-the agency asked detained parents to sign documents without counsel present, leading those parents to believe they were forced to choose between indefinite detention with their children, and the release of their children alone, without them.

We know the Administration has a history of separating thousands of children from their parents. Family separation should never be this country's policy. Medical organizations have long stated that the practice creates extraordinary harm to children. Detention of children for any amount of time, even with their parents, causes physical harm and irreparable trauma. We call upon ICE to act with compassion and release families together. These families have relatives and sponsors who are immediately available to provide them with care so that they may shelter-in-place.

The Administration must stop using this public health crisis as a means for implementing unlawful and inhumane immigration policies. In these extraordinary times, human suffering need not be compounded through traumatizing and instilling fear in the hearts of migrant parents. ICE has long had the authority and discretion to swiftly and safely release families together into the U.S. and should act to do so immediately. Once these families are free from detention, together, we urge ICE to commit to a permanent policy of family unity and to seek alternatives to family detention- including release on recognizance or community-driven support - in every case.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.