Letter to the Hon. Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of the Dept. of Homeland Security - Durbin, Nadler, Feinstein, Lofgren Demand DHS Give Due Process As Required By Law To Unaccompanied Children During COVID-19 Outbreak

Letter

Dear Acting Secretary Wolf:

We are concerned about recent reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is removing unaccompanied children to countries where they fear violence, in violation of their legal rights under the Trafficking Victim Protections Reauthorization Act (TVPRA).

Last week, the Trump Administration ordered asylum-seekers removed to other countries without reviewing their claims of persecution. At the time, officials said that unaccompanied children would be exempt from this order. DHS, however, has now applied this policy to children who fled violence and traveled to the United States alone, sending them back on their own to the very countries they fled out of fear.

Unaccompanied children fleeing violence are among the most vulnerable groups seeking our help. They make up less than ten percent of the people encountered at the border. Under the TVPRA, children are to be transferred from the border to the Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours, where they can then be reunited with family members or other sponsors while their legal claims are decided.

Reports that DHS is not following the TVPRA are deeply troubling. We have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of these children. Children do not have to be put in harm's way to protect us from the coronavirus pandemic. DHS has the ability and capacity to protect both these children and the public. We request that DHS stop this practice immediately.

Thank you for your consideration.