Senators to Trump: “There is simply no basis for reinstating this cruel, ineffective, and costly practice, particularly when there are effective solutions that, unlike family detention, do not permanently damage children’s health and well-being”
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a group of 20 Senate Democrats in a letter to President Donald Trump in strong opposition to the Administration reviving family detention.
“We strongly object to the failed and inhumane practice of detaining migrant families. We are deeply disturbed by reports that your Administration intends to revive this cruel policy, which has proven to be ineffective, costly, and devastating for children and families,” the senators wrote.
The senators continued by citing multiple studies published on family detention’s harm to children, writing: “There is a widespread consensus in the United States that family detention poses serious risks to the physical and mental well-being of children. Medical and child welfare experts … have consistently condemned this practice, warning that even short-term detention fails to meet basic child welfare standards and exposes children to lasting trauma. Even the Department of Homeland Security’s own medical consultants have concluded that family detention presents a ‘high risk of harm to children and families.’”
“Family detention is not just damaging to children and families; it is also costly and ineffective. It does not deter migration. It simply inflicts suffering while draining taxpayer funds at an exorbitant cost,” the senators continued, citing multiple studies finding family detention to be costly and ineffective.
The senators concluded by urging the administration to abandon plans to reinstate family detention, writing: “There is simply no basis for reinstating this cruel, ineffective, and costly practice, particularly when there are effective solutions that, unlike family detention, do not permanently damage children’s health and well-being. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to abandon the use of family detention and instead pursue humane, evidence-based alternatives that prioritize the well-being of children and families while ensuring an orderly and lawful immigration system.”
In addition to Murray and Durbin, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
For a PDF copy of the full letter to President Trump, click here.
Murray is a longtime advocate of comprehensive and humane immigration reform and she fought back against the Trump administration’s use of family detention in his first term, speaking out and demanding answers about the status and well-being of children separated from their parents. Last week Senator Murray led 22 senators in reintroducing her Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act—protecting the health and safety of pregnant, postpartum, and lactating women in immigration detention.
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