1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

As a mother, I was heartbroken to see five-year-old Liam Ramos in his little bunny had and Spider-Man backpack taken by ICE along with his father. I'm outraged that he is in detention, and not doing well. I'm outraged that he has been separated from his mother. I am outraged to learn there are more than 1700 children in detention -- some who've been there for months and months (4 year-old twins have been confined for 8 months!) How can it be that our country is this cruel to children? As a constituent, I urge you to do everything in your power to shut down the family detention centers. Children are not criminals and should not be imprisoned. Every day in detention robs a child of a day of healthy development, and creates lasting, life-long trauma. I urge you to visit the detention center in Dilley, Texas and to witness and bring attention to the inhumane conditions there. The testimonies from inside these detention centers expose deeply disturbing realities - adults and children fighting over scarce water, inadequate medical attention for serious conditions, and intense psychological trauma. Locking up vulnerable people, many of whom are legally seeking asylum, is both unjust and inhumane. We cannot allow policies that inflict such harm on innocent families. Please sponsor a bill banning the detention of minors and putting minors in harms way. I dare any of your collegues to vote for kidnapping and imprisoning of children. Get them on record.