1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am just one constituent of many from across the country, united across political, geographic, and ideological lines, writing to demand immediate action to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in family immigration detention facilities. This is not a partisan issue. It is a moral one. The continued detention of infants, toddlers, and children at facilities such as the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley and the Karnes County Residential Center is indefensible and must end now. Medical experts have made the stakes unmistakably clear. The American Academy of Pediatrics—the leading authority on children’s health—has unequivocally opposed the detention of children for immigration purposes. Their guidance is not ambiguous: all children in immigration detention should be immediately released, and these facilities should be permanently closed. This position is grounded in extensive, peer-reviewed research demonstrating that detention—even under so-called “acceptable” conditions—causes lasting psychological, emotional, and developmental harm to children. The damage is real, measurable, and, in many cases, lifelong. At the same time, these facilities have been repeatedly linked to deeply troubling allegations, including inadequate medical care, unsafe and unsanitary conditions, lack of clean water, sleep deprivation, and barriers to legal access. No child should be subjected to such conditions—under any circumstance. Critically, this harm is not necessary. Effective, humane alternatives exist. Programs such as the Family Case Management Program have demonstrated high compliance rates with immigration proceedings while preserving family unity and costing significantly less than detention. Congress has both the authority and the responsibility to act. Protecting children should not depend on political affiliation. It is a fundamental moral obligation. Allowing this system to continue, despite clear medical consensus and viable alternatives, is a failure of leadership. We urge you—collectively and immediately—to take legislative and oversight action to end the detention of children in immigration facilities and to permanently close these centers. Protect children. Uphold basic human dignity. Please be on the right side of history on this matter.