Press Stories

CIPC is Appalled by the Abhorrent Trump Administration rule to Indefinitely Detain Migrant Children and Families

Los Angeles, CA – For the past two decades the Flores Agreement, a court settlement that limited the length of time children may be held in detention centers to 20 days, has protected minors from the inhumane practice of extended detention of immigrants.

Since the spring of last year, however, the Administration has callously set its sights on dismantling this important legal protection, launching the widely condemned practice of family separation as part of a sinister attempt to build public support for holding families together – in detention prisons – with limited access to proper nutrition and health care, and without due process.

Cynthia Buiza, Executive Director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, issued the following statement:

“Once again we are incredibly appalled that the Trump Administration continues to find new and increasingly cruel ways to harm immigrant communities. While the focus should be on pursuing humane and inclusive policies that provide an avenue for migrants to safely enter the country and be included in the fabric of daily life, including having opportunities to thrive and ensure their health and safety, this administration now seeks to potentially hold migrants in facilities under squalid conditions for months and perhaps even years.

Family detention is an abhorrent practice that has rightly been subject to widespread criticism and condemnation. Let’s not forget that in addition to limiting the length of time in detention, the settlement also provides important oversight protections, ensuring that legal monitors have access to facilities where migrant children are being held. In addition to causing suffering and trauma for thousands of children, the Administration also wants to conduct these abuses in the dark, without the potential for public scrutiny and oversight.

Families belong in communities, not in cages. Children and their parents do their best when they are integrated into an inclusive community and given the opportunity to grow and thrive. Imprisoning families goes against the most fundamental values we hold as a country and a state. We remain committed to working alongside impacted communities to fight this new regulation from taking effect.”

As Californians we stand opposed to this cruel effort to imprison families indefinitely and stand in solidarity with our migrant communities in this critical time.

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