1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am your constituent in Texas and I am calling on you to confront an urgent humanitarian crisis unfolding within our own state at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley and the Karnes County Residential Center. This is not a distant federal issue—it is happening on Texas soil, under Texas authority, and it reflects directly on the values and leadership of our state. We consider this a bipartisan moral issue, and it will weigh heavily in our decisions at the ballot box this November. We are demanding the immediate closure of both facilities for the following reasons: • Extensive peer-reviewed research confirms that detaining children—even under so-called “optimal” conditions—causes lasting psychological and developmental harm. • Both facilities have been the subject of serious allegations and lawsuits, including medical neglect, unsafe and unsanitary conditions, lack of clean water, sleep deprivation, and denial of legal access. • The American Academy of Pediatrics has unequivocally stated that children should not be held in immigration detention and has called for these facilities to be permanently shut down. • Detaining infants and children is not necessary for an effective immigration system. Humane, proven alternatives already exist. • Alternatives to Detention programs—such as the Family Case Management Program—have demonstrated high compliance rates while costing significantly less than detention and avoiding harm to families. Texas has a choice: continue to allow the suffering of children within its borders, or lead with accountability, compassion, and evidence-based policy. We are asking you to act immediately to protect the mental and physical well-being of infants, toddlers, and children being detained in our state. History will remember how Texas responded to this moment. The time for inaction has passed.