CAIR Condemns Trump Administration Proposal for Indefinite Detention of Immigrant Children
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the Trump administration's plan to withdraw from a longstanding settlement agreement that prohibits keeping immigrant children in detention for more than 20 days.
That proposed change in policy, which was announced today, would allow the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain thousands of families indefinitely while their immigration cases go forward.
Under a 1997 settlement agreement, and according to a 2015 court ruling, the government must release children from family detention centers after 20 days. The 2015 ruling was upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Trump administration now seeks to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to operate family detention centers in which families could be held indefinitely. The public will have 60 days to comment on the proposed policy change.
SEE: Trump Administration Proposes Rule to Allow Longer Detention of Migrant Children
https://www.wgbh.org/news/national-news/2018/09/06/trump-administration-proposes-rule-to-allow-longer-detention-of-migrant-children
U.S. Plans to Sidestep Limits on Detaining Immigrant Children
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/09/06/trump-administration-wants-keep-immigrant-kids-longer-detention/1212440002/
"This inhumane policy proposal is further evidence that the Trump administration intentionally seeks to impose cruel and unnecessary hardships on families seeking a better life in this country in order to carry out its racist and anti-immigrant agenda," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad.
In July, CAIR joined the Alliance for Family Reunification (AFR) of Prince William County at a candlelight vigil outside a Virginia facility housing immigrant children who were separated from their families by Trump administration policy.
Later that month, CAIR co-sponsored a second candlelight vigil and protest marking an unmet July 26 deadline to reunite up to 3,000 immigrant children separated from their parents.
SEE: CAIR to Co-Sponsor Virginia Rally Against Unmet July 26 Immigrant Family Reunification Deadline
https://www.cair.com/cair_to_co_sponsor_virginia_rally_against_unmet_july_26_immigrant_family_reunification_deadline
CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]
SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
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