Las Vegas, Nev. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a group of 21 senators to send a letter to President Donald Trump in strong opposition to the Administration reviving the policy of family detention. This cruel practice has been proven to be deeply traumatic for both children and their families and ineffective in improving border security.
The Senators began with strong objection to the reports, writing: “We strongly object to the failed and inhumane practice of detaining migrant families. We are deeply disturbed by reports that your Administration intends to revive this cruel policy, which has proven to be ineffective, costly, and devastating for children and families.”
The Senators continued by citing multiple studies published on family detention’s harm to children, writing: “There is a widespread consensus in the United States that family detention poses serious risks to the physical and mental well-being of children. Medical and child welfare experts […] have consistently condemned this practice, warning that even short-term detention fails to meet basic child welfare standards and exposes children to lasting trauma. Even the Department of Homeland Security’s own medical consultants have concluded that family detention presents a ‘high risk of harm to children and families.’”
The Senators also cited multiple studies finding family detention to be costly and ineffective, writing: “Family detention is not just damaging to children and families; it is also costly and ineffective. It does not deter migration. It simply inflicts suffering while draining taxpayer funds at an exorbitant cost.”
The Senators concluded with a firm directive to abandon plans to reinstate family detention, writing: “There is simply no basis for reinstating this cruel, ineffective, and costly practice, particularly when there are effective solutions that, unlike family detention, do not permanently damage children’s health and well-being. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to abandon the use of family detention and instead pursue humane, evidence-based alternatives that prioritize the well-being of children and families while ensuring an orderly and lawful immigration system.”
The full text of the letter can be found here.
The first and only Latina senator, Senator Cortez Masto has consistently supported immigrant communities in Nevada, calling on both administrations to protect TPS holders and other immigrants, as well as leading commonsense legislation to fix our broken immigration system. Cortez Masto joined Senator Rosen (D-Nev.) in introducing the Born in the USA Act to effectively block the implementation of President Trump’s unconstitutional Executive Order attempting to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. She has worked to pass meaningful immigration reform that balances critical border security measures with a path to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential workers, and she’s pushed legislation to allow Dreamers and TPS holders to work in Congress.
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