Members of Congress Call for End to Expulsions of Children, Demand Answers from DHS and CDC

Press Release

On Friday, 58 Members of Congress, led by Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield demanding an end to the Trump Administration's expulsion of unaccompanied children at the border without due process. The letter also asks for answers about how the expulsions were implemented, who the children are, if the children are being tested for COVID-19, and if the children's welfare and development are being protected. The letter's co-leads, Reps. Chu, Jim Langevin (RI-02), and Karen Bass (CA-37), issued the following statements:

"Once again, this administration is endangering children as part of its war on immigrants," said Rep. Chu. "Lacking a real immigration policy, this administration is instead making a show of detaining and deporting children who are fleeing violence or abuse without due process as is required. Worse, there is ample evidence that the Trump Administration's disregard for child welfare is harming development, retraumatizing children seeking asylum, and in some cases, even resulting in their deaths. If this policy is being done with an eye towards the law and child welfare, then DHS should be able to demonstrate that by responding to our requests in this letter. However, as with the earlier separation of immigrant families and subsequent imprisonment of immigrant children, all evidence indicates that this policy is another way to spread fear of immigrants and is harming children -- perhaps for life. That is why we demand that this administration must immediately abandon this cruel policy, stick to the requirements in the Flores Agreement, and allow these children a fair screening to assess their claim for asylum. Child abuse must not be the policy of the United States."

"Time and again, the Trump Administration has treated immigrants arriving in the United States with callous disregard. The most recent atrocity of summarily expelling immigrants, including asylum seekers and children, under the guise of public health only adds to the severe trauma they have experienced," said Rep. Langevin. "Particularly for children, this inhumane treatment can disrupt their development and have far-reaching effects later in life. The President and his Administration are willfully putting children in danger not to protect the public health, but to further their own anti-immigrant agenda."

"The gross violations of child welfare principles perpetrated by this administration are unacceptable," said Rep. Bass. "To use a pandemic that is out of control due to the administration's negligence as an excuse to further traumatize refugees is despicable. As we state in our letter, children pursuing refuge in the United States are, above all else, children. The permanent psychological damage caused by these callous actions must be accounted for."

The letter is endorsed by Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), National Center for Youth Law, Women's Refugee Commission, and Bethany Christian Services.

"KIND has seen first-hand how devastating expulsions have been for vulnerable children seeking protection from life-threatening danger," said Jason Boyd, Director of Policy at KIND. "The administration should cease these expulsions immediately to comport with U.S. law and to restore order to border operations. We have a responsibility to adopt a fundamentally humanitarian approach at the border that recognizes unaccompanied children's need for protection and ensures their appropriate reception, screening, and care."

"The Administration's unlawful and inhumane expulsions of thousands of children is the latest in a series of human rights violations against this most vulnerable population," said Neha Desai, Esq., Director, Immigration at the National Center for Youth Law. "As Flores counsel, representing all children in federal immigration custody, the National Center for Youth Law is grateful to the many members of Congress who have joined the call to protect children's health and safety by ending this egregious practice.

"Children who escape violence, persecution, and danger in their home countries are fleeing for their survival," said Chris Palusky, president and CEO of Bethany. "Quickly expelling children with complete disregard to the protections U.S. law affords them does nothing to promote the eradication of COVID-19, but rather puts children in more danger and keeps families apart. Organizations that care for unaccompanied children who are waiting to reunify with their family, like Bethany, are prepared to meet the mental and physical health needs of these vulnerable kids and keep them -- and the American people -- safe amid the pandemic."

The letter is signed by: Reps. Judy Chu, Karen Bass, Jim Langevin, Sheila Jackson Lee, Frederica S. Wilson, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Nanette Diaz Barragán, Jim Cooper, James P. McGovern, Filemon Vela, Gwen Moore, David Trone, Raúl Grijalva, Sylvia R. Garci, Tony Cárdenas, Albio Sires, Juan Vargas, Nydia M. Velázquez, Bill Foster, Debbie Dingell, Betty McCollum, Jahana Hayes, Chellie Pingree, Yvette D. Clarke, Terri A. Sewell, Veronica Escobar, Mark Pocan, Lloyd Doggett, Mark DeSaulnier, Susan A. Davis, Suzan K. DelBene, Adriano Espaillat, Jamie Raskin, Dina Titus, Mark Takano, Joe Neguse, Jan Schakowsky, Linda T. Sánchez , Jackie Speier, Rosa L. DeLauro, Grace Meng, Joaquin Castro, Brenda L. Lawrence, Adam Smith, Grace F. Napolitano, Ayanna Pressley, Mike Quigley, Pramila Jayapal, Andy Levin, Jimmy Panetta, Kim Schrier, M.D., Peter Welch, Alan Lowenthal, Jason Crow, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Earl Blumenauer, Suzanne Bonamici, and Lois Frankel.

The letter is available online here and pasted below:

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