Vote No on H.R. 4371 — Stop Detaining Immigrant Children

Vote no on H.R. 4371. This bill doesn't protect children — it subjects them to invasive body searches, prolonged detention, and separation from family members already living here legally. Sarah Mehta of the ACLU called it exactly what it is: a cruel expansion of mass detention dressed up as child welfare legislation. The psychological harm this inflicts on kids is real and documented. The conditions at Fort Bliss make clear where this agenda leads. Human rights investigators interviewed over 45 detained people and collected 16 sworn declarations describing beatings, sexual abuse, medical neglect, and coercive threats. A teenager named Samuel was beaten until he lost consciousness, had a tooth broken, and suffered severe ear damage. An internal ICE inspection found the facility violated over 60 federal detention standards in its first 50 days. This is what expanded detention looks like in practice. Dozens of your colleagues who previously supported tough immigration measures still rejected H.R. 4371. That's not a coincidence — it's a signal that this bill goes too far even by the standards of those who support strict enforcement. Vote no, and make clear that children are not bargaining chips in an immigration agenda.