Church World Service urges the administration to terminate immoral policies that harm families
Washington, D.C.— Church World Service today condemned the administration’s executive order to mandate that immigrant families be held in family detention. Instead of terminating the administration’s cruel “zero tolerance” policies targeting vulnerable families, it is choosing to exacerbate the child welfare crisis at the border. This proposed order is immoral and undermines real solutions to family separation while continuing to violate the rights of refugees seeking legal asylum. In addition, family separation will persist, as any assigned jail time must be served in Department of Justice (DOJ) custody away from their children.
“Family detention is not a solution to family separation,” said CWS President and CEO Rev. John McCullough “This administration’s contempt for immigrant and refugee families is abundantly clear, and today’s executive order continues to show there is no end to their cruelty. Keeping vulnerable and traumatized children in jail, even if they are with their parents, is not the answer. Studies have shown that any kind of detention is extremely harmful to the physical and mental well-being of children and other vulnerable populations.”
Today’s executive order will keep in place the cruel “zero-tolerance” policy that criminally prosecutes individuals for migration-related offenses. The order will also mandate expedited court proceedings for asylum seekers, a policy that raises critical due process concerns such that individuals will not be given the opportunity to fairly present their cases for relief.
“The courts have already ruled that it is unconstitutional to hold kids in prison-like detention facilities for any extended period of time. We urge the administration to release families and instead divert resources to better practices that actually work, including through non-restrictive, community-based alternatives to detention,” added McCullough.
For more information or to speak with McCullough contact Mary Elizabeth Margolis at memargolis@cwsglobal.org.
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