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November 02, 2018

Stop Family Detention NOW

Source:  NYSUT Social Justice

There’s still time to make your voice heard opposing the Administration’s proposal to amend the Flores Agreement that protects the safety and wellbeing of children seeking asylum in the U.S.. You have until Tuesday, Nov. 6th to take action and submit comments and urge the Administration to withdraw the proposed regulation that jeopardize the safety and wellbeing of children. Scroll down for an e-action from AFT President Randi Weingarten.  

Background:

On September 7th, the Trump Administration published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) seeking to end the Flores Settlement Agreement (FSA) that has been in place for decades and is designed to protect the well-being and basic rights of migrant children in the custody of the federal government. The FSA sets minimum standards of care and prevents the United States from detaining children indefinitely in prison-like conditions.

The Administration is using the chaos they created from their cruel family separation policy to pursue the indefinite incarceration of vulnerable children and families and to strip children of existing legal protections. This is morally repugnant and must be rejected at every level.

The deadline to submit a comment is Tuesday, November 6th. Stand-up for children in detention and help amplify on social media using #StopFamilyDetention & #FamiliesBelongTogether

And if you haven’t voted, go Vote! Need help finding your polling place visit- www.vote411.org

Ya es hora, ve y vota!


From: Randi Weingarten
To: Cesar Moreno Perez, Human Rights & Community Relations
Subject: Stop Family Detention NOW.

The Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants, especially immigrant children, is unconscionable.

The administration’s latest attack would undo long-standing rules that ensure immigrant children in government custody are treated humanely and released quickly. The Trump administration wants to roll back existing minimal standards for the education and healthcare of immigrant children, and it wants the authority to jail children indefinitely.

CLICK HERE to submit a comment to the Federal Register opposing this rollback of protections for immigrant children.

In the 1990s, courts—through a requirement known as the “Flores Rule”—mandated that the federal government follow basic rules when detaining migrant children arriving in the United States. These basic protections include holding children in state-licensed and child-appropriate facilities, in the least restrictive setting possible. And the rules require the government to release children as soon as possible.

Now, the Trump administration wants to be allowed to indefinitely detain children, lower standards of healthcare and education instruction in immigration jails, and remove legal protections for minors seeking safety in the United States.

Tell the administration that its proposal in unacceptable. Indefinite family detention is no better than family separation.

This administration wants to curtail legal immigration, tear children from their families, and send toddlers alone to immigration court. Let the administration know that you will not stand by while it undermines basic safety protections for vulnerable children.

Sincerely,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President