Washington, D.C. – Last week, the Trump administration officially revived family detention in the U.S. after reopening a private detention center in Dilley, Texas. The facility is privately run by CoreCivic, donors of Trump, and has a long history of neglect and abuse. This revival signals the administration’s latest effort in their plans to nearly triple the number of immigrants in detention from 40,000 to 120,000. In the pursuit to carry out the largest deportation efforts as promised, the Trump administration has given immigration agents the green-light to endanger the lives of children and parents indiscriminately, causing harm to families across the country.
Bruna Sollod, Senior Political Director of United We Dream, said:
“Trump’s one-track mind to line his pockets and those of his billionaire allies has already begun to have devastating consequences on hard-working Americans nationwide. Thousands of people have been kidnapped from their homes and communities under Trump’s immigration crusade, leaving workspaces without workers, classrooms without teachers, neighborhoods without community members. Now, Trump is giving ICE agents permission to abduct families, infants, children and the elderly and throw them into facilities like the one just reopened in Dilley.
Americans do not want their taxpayer dollars to be stolen away from addressing their real concerns, including the rising cost of living, underfunded schools in their neighborhoods, and failing hospital systems. They especially do not support turning around and using their money to then turbocharge violent and deadly state-sanctioned kidnappings. Immigrant young people and allies urge Congress to reject Trump’s revival of family detention. They cannot use a single dollar more of our taxpayer dollars to fund this cruel expansion of detention. Our elected leaders must understand that fighting to protect immigrants and families is part of the fight to protect us all.”
