1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

You need to act now to stop the Trump administration's systematic abuse of 24,000 unaccompanied children. HHS canceled the legal services contract for these kids, stiffed lawyers $65 million in back pay, and replaced competent counsel with Our Rescue — an NGO whose founder was accused of sex trafficking. Children as young as three are appearing in deportation hearings without lawyers, in direct violation of federal law. That's not a policy disagreement. That's a crime being committed against kids. The administration is building a 3,000-bed child detention facility in Texas and planning to convert a toxic former military base in Louisiana into a second site. Kids are being held an average of 194 days when the law mandates a maximum of 20. Local police are conducting fake "wellness checks" to arrest children under 287(g) agreements that pay a $22,500 bounty per child. This is happening in your district, in your state, right now. I need you to publicly demand the cancellation of the Our Rescue contract, the reinstatement of qualified legal counsel for these children, and an end to any 287(g) agreements enabling this bounty system. Social media statements aren't enough. These kids have no one else. Be the adult in the room and fight for them.