1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I'm horrified that the Department of Homeland Security plans to purchase and convert warehouses across the country into mega immigration detention centers. Call them concentration camps, internment camps, or whatever you choose--these are human rights atrocities in the making. We can already see the atrocities with infants hospitalized, children denied their education or even access to crayons and paper, and people sick and without hope at Dilley detention center. Dilley should be shut down. The fact that DHS plans to recreate it on a greater scale is one of the worst moments in American history. The Trump administration is pursuing an unprecedented expansion of detention capacity as part of its plan to deport one million people per year. DHS is now moving to detain men, women, and children in warehouse-style facilities never designed for human confinement. This is a dangerous escalation that will lead to overcrowding, medical neglect, and preventable deaths. Congress has both the authority and responsibility to stop this. DHS cannot build this detention network without funding, oversight, and political cover from elected officials. You must act now before these contracts are finalized and these facilities begin operating in communities across the country. I urge you to immediately block funding for warehouse detention expansion, demand full public disclosure of all planned sites and contracts, and hold oversight hearings on detention conditions and deaths in custody. Congress must also pursue humane alternatives to detention that protect public safety and uphold basic human rights. The American people do not want secret mega detention centers built in their communities. We demand accountability, transparency, and an end to the expansion of mass detention.