When @DHSMcAleenan tries to sell an Immigration Babyjail as a “Gold Standard” think about what that means? It means indefinitely jailing children, for profit. It means traumatizing kids who are already traumatized. It means kids do not have freedom to play, to think, or to grow.
We watched today as the Secretary described the detention of children as being “campus-like.” Its not. Its prison-like. You are not free to leave. You have no privacy. The purpose of detaining kids is to isolate them from people who love them and the people who can help them.
In babyjail, your jailers are the parents, parents are the babysitters. Parents do not decide when or what kids eat. Your parents can not help you when you are sick or make any parental decisions. Kids become defiant, angry, depressed, helpless. Kids play, when guards let them.
At Berks and Dilley, children threaten suicide. Kids commit self harm. Their eyes sink into their head. Kids sleep on the legal tables out of exhaustion. They cry constantly. They beg and plead for help, and love and to leave. This is Jail not a "campus."
Families at Berks do not have “private suites” in detention. Families are stuffed six in a room with a bathroom, missing a door – just a sheet. Every 15 minutes while kids sleep, they are awoken by invasive bed checks with flashlights. Their sleep is disturbed 40 times per night.
A mother has been sexually assaulted in Berks – and she was assaulted in front of children. The Berks facility is shockingly arguing in Court that a sexually assaulted mom has no rights to be protected. @MattArchambeau1
msmagazine.com/2019/07/18/obv…
Outside of Berks, sure there is a playground. Kids can use it when followed by a guard and only during the few hours when outside play is allowed. This is no different than any Jail in America with yard time. Is York County Prison ok for kids because there is a basketball court?
Every second a child is detained at Berks – or anywhere in family detention – they are afraid of being deported to death. They watch friends screaming or crying being taken from the facility at 3am while they sleep to be sent to harm. Children wonder when will I be taken?
Children plead with their parents to help them leave. They cry, scream, and beg. Family detention requires kids to be caged. This is not our America. #shutdownberks
Detaining children is done for Profit. It costs more to detain kids. Facilities are paid an average of $343 dollars per person per day. This does not include the costs of medical, educational or other costs of detaining kids. Child detention keeps for-profit prisons in the black.
Watching @DHSMcAleenan this morning, he fundamentally fails to understand how caging children harms them. He alleges detention would average 50 days. This is false. During 2014 and 2015 our children in Berks were detained from 1 to 2 years. Ask him better questions.
The majority of cases at Berks in 2014/2015 were granted asylum. They now live in the US and require care to correct the psych. and physical effects of their detention, including fearing school environments that remind them of jail, violent aggression and sleep/anxiety disorders.
Indefinite detention of children as policy will DAMAGE KIDS forever. PA knows better. Do something. #shutdownberks #endfamilydetention
@humanrights1st documented the effects of family detention on kids for years. Those in PA can no longer ignore their responsibility to end this human rights disaster humanrightsfirst.org/press-release/…
In PA those responsible are: @GovernorTomWolf @PAAttorneyGen @CYLeinbach @KevinBarnhardt
Kids don't belong in Cages. Berks is just another Cage. #FreetheBerksKids
@aldea_pjc still provides ALL of the legal representation at Berks.
If you want to support our families and the kids to come in family detention donate here: aldeapjc.org
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