1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to release all children currently held in immigration detention facilities and to support the permanent closure of these centers. More than 1,700 children have been detained in family detention centers since spring 2025, after the administration revived a practice that was shut down in 2021. These children are experiencing conditions that pediatricians describe as harmful to their physical, mental, and emotional development. The case of 5-year-old Liam Ramos from Minneapolis illustrates the severity of this crisis. Liam was detained with his father and transported over 1,000 miles to the Dilley, Texas family detention center, where they were held with more than 1,000 other detainees including hundreds of young children. While Liam has since returned home, the trauma of this experience will remain part of his childhood memory forever. The Dilley facility recently experienced a measles outbreak, and reports indicate inadequate medical care, inappropriate access to clean water or safe food, and separation of parents from children as a disciplinary tactic. Pediatricians are documenting serious health impacts in children affected by immigration enforcement, including disrupted sleep patterns, loss of appetite, panic attacks, learning difficulties, and persistent anxiety. The fear created by these actions prevents families from accessing medical care, sending children to school, or even leaving homes for essential items like groceries, diapers, and infant formula. I urge you to support legislation that prohibits immigration enforcement at or near schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, and childcare facilities. I also ask that you demand immediate congressional oversight of conditions in family detention facilities and work to end family detention practices permanently. Children belong in their communities, in school, and with their families. I ask you to prioritize child health and well-being in immigration policy decisions.