1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I need you to take immediate action to end the detention of migrant children and ensure humane conditions for adults in ICE custody. More than 1,700 children have been held in family detention facilities since spring, and the conditions violate basic standards of decency. Children at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley are eating food contaminated with worms and mold. They're drinking water from containers with algae. One child's untreated earache became so severe it caused permanent hearing loss. Kids sleep with lights on all night and have no access to school. These conditions violate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which guarantees children safe and sanitary treatment. Detention is not necessary for immigration enforcement. Families are being subjected to these conditions to pressure them into self-deportation. Children who were previously well-adjusted are now experiencing nightmares, behavioral regression, and constant sadness. End the detention of children immediately. For adults who remain in custody, enforce basic health and safety standards: clean food and water, timely medical care, and humane living conditions. ICE claims it provides "humane care," but the evidence shows otherwise. You have the authority to stop this.