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

The Department of Homeland Security must immediately release the 99 children currently detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley. These are real children, some as young as toddlers, who have been held beyond the 20-day maximum established by the 1997 Flores Settlement Agreement. They sleep on thin mats under fluorescent lights that never turn off. They eat meals that leave them hungry. They cry for parents who may be in different facilities or different countries. Last month, staff raided cells to confiscate and destroy drawings and letters these children created. Imagine a 7-year-old's crayon drawing of their home, ripped up and thrown away by guards. Now DHS has banned video calls in community areas after a 9-year-old boy's call with children's YouTuber Ms. Rachel went viral, in which he said "I don't want to be here anymore." His voice was small and scared. He looked directly into the camera and begged to leave. DHS claims these calls compromised security, but the real threat is that Americans are seeing what's happening to these children. These children have names, favorite colors, stuffed animals they miss. They have nightmares. They ask when they can go outside. The agency's pattern of silencing them by destroying their artwork, restricting their communications, and limiting outside contact shows they know these conditions are indefensible. Demand the immediate release of all children from this facility and hold DHS accountable for violating the Flores Settlement Agreement.