This morning I visited an HHS detention facility in Bristow, VA, where a number of immigrant minors are being held, 15 of whom were separated from their parents at the border. Some thoughts: 
I’ve known this facility for a long time, I’ve visited before, and according to the kids I spoke to, they’re being treated well there.
But no matter how well they’re being treated by the staff, the fact remains that they’re being held in detention, separated from their parents, because of this Administration. Housing them in the Ritz wouldn’t make that better.
What this facility cannot do is reunite them with their parents. That’s the responsibility of the Trump Administration, which created this mess.
We’ve heard a lot of denials, a lot of counterattacks and blame shifting from this Administration, but we haven’t heard a lot by way of compassion for these children.
After visiting one of the ‘better’ detention facilities, all I can say is we need a lot more compassion for these kids. We need to reunite these families now, then come back to the negotiating table and work on real, bipartisan immigration reform so this can never happen again.
