United We Dream Condemns ICE’s Opening of South Texas Family Jail

UWD

HOUSTON --  As reported on Monday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson was present at the opening of a new family detention center in Dilley, Texas that will detain up to 2,400 adults with children as they await immigration hearings.

Frances Valdez,  Board Member for United We Dream and an immigration lawyer from Houston issued the following statement,

“In 2009, President Obama ended family detention in the T. Don Hutto Detention Center, as his administration tried to adopt a “truly civil detention system.”

“Closing the Artesia family jail just to open up a larger one in Texas is not only offensive to the immigrant community but it also offends American and family values.  It is un-American to put innocent children in detention centers and as a citizen, I want my country to live up to its promise as the land of opportunity that welcomes the poor and huddled masses.”

“The President undermines our fundamental values of justice and fairness when he places children and parents fleeing violence and/or extreme poverty in detention centers.  Any parent and anyone who has ever loved a child knows that innocent children belong on the playground and not behind the cold walls of a detention center.”

“United We Dream advocates for alternatives to detention like home visits, work visits, monitoring, methods more humane than placing children in jails. These programs showed compliance rates of 81 to 96 percent in 2011 and are also cost-effective. While detention costs the government $164 per detainee per day – almost $2 billion per year, alternatives to detention cost 30 cents to $14 per detainee per day.”

“Let’s be clear, ICE’s practice of detaining 34,000 people every day is not about national security. This is about increasing profits for companies like Corrections Corporation of America. Tax dollars should not be used for overpriced and immoral practices. This is not the answer to the moral crisis in our community. As a father, the President understands that we must treat all of our children better.”

“United We Dream will continue to fight against detention, which only serves to dehumanize the immigrant community.”