{"id":6123,"date":"2015-05-06T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2015-05-05T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/?p=6123"},"modified":"2015-05-06T23:32:37","modified_gmt":"2015-05-06T13:32:37","slug":"locking-up-kids-and-moms-cant-be-the-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/commentary\/locking-up-kids-and-moms-cant-be-the-answer\/","title":{"rendered":"Locking Up Kids and Moms Can\u2019t be the Answer"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_single_image image=”6136″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” align=”align_center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

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[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]Text by guest blogger Clara Long<\/p>\n

Photo by Omar Ortega, COAMI A.C.<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

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[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]\u201cWe came here seeking refuge, and they are treating us like criminals,\u201d reads the petition,<\/a> inscribed in the careful printing of hunger-striking mothers detained with their children in the U.S. at Karnes County Residential Center in Texas.<\/p>\n

After a record number of children and families fleeing gang-ravaged Central America started crossing the US-Mexico border last spring, the US government decided to begin locking up thousands in detention. Federal officials asserted that the previous practice of registering families with children at the border, releasing them, and then hearing their asylum claims in immigration court was failing to adequately deter unauthorized migrants from entering the United States. In recent weeks, about 70 mothers decided to go on hunger strike, eating just once a day, to protest their detention.<\/p>\n

In July 2014, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson called<\/a> the detention of these families an \u201caggressive deterrence strategy\u201d that includes the conversion of a now 500-bed detention center in Karnes, Texas into one to hold families, the construction of another 2,400-bed facility in Dilley, Texas and the expansion of an existing facility in Pennsylvania. All of this to be able to lock-up over 3,000 mothers and their children, which an agency press release promised would \u201chelp ensure more timely and effective removals that comply with our legal and international obligations, while deterring others from\u2026illegally crossing into the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the family detention centers do not, as DHS declares, \u201ccomply\u201d with US obligations under international law.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

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As Human Rights Watch has documented, <\/a>many of the people whom the government aims to deter are fleeing for their lives. Mothers and children caught up in the family detention system have received asylum<\/a> because they fled gang violence, abusive domestic partners, or violence related to their sexual orientation. Even initial US government screening of detained families has found the majority <\/a>to be credible asylum seekers.<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

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[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]Detaining immigrants to deter future asylum seekers is contrary to international standards, according to the United Nations refugee agency<\/a>, UNHCR, which has supervisory authority over the Refugee Convention. Under UNHCR\u2019s detention guidelines, civil detention of immigrants can only be imposed when it is necessary and proportional to achieving a legitimate purpose with respect to a particular individual, for example to prevent a detainee from harming others or to ensure they show up to court hearings. That is not what DHS’ current sweeping detention policy does, since it locks up mothers and children arriving from Central America without consideration of their individual situation.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, as numerous studies have shown, detention does not <\/em>actually deter<\/a> future immigration. In fact, domestic reception policies in destination countries have little to no overall effect on arrival numbers. Instead of reducing the numbers of irregular migrants, stricter detention and enforcement measures result in migrants undertaking greater risks.<\/p>\n

Thus, not surprisingly<\/a>, in February, a US federal court evaluated the government\u2019s family detention as deterrence strategy and found<\/a> it did not comport with US civil detention standards. In grudging compliance, the government has offered some families held in the family detention centers release if they can pay bonds that for most are exorbitant. For example, Kenia Galeano, a recently liberated Honduran mother, paid $7,500 to pursue her asylum claim outside of detention with her two-year-old son.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the administration continues to argue <\/a>in court that it can appropriately use family detention to send a message to migrants from Central America that they should not journey to the United States to have their asylum claim heard. Instead of focusing on multi-layered responses to address root causes of irregular movement, government lawyers have asked to present more evidence that their interest in detaining asylum seekers is valid. Meanwhile, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Sarah Salda\u00f1a asked<\/a> Congress to appropriate funds for 2,760 individuals housed in family residential centers (at an average daily rate of $342.73 per person).<\/p>\n

The US government\u2019s disregard for human rights norms on family detention could not be more concerning. Galeano, one of the original organizers of the mothers’ hunger strike, told Democracy Now<\/a> she was held by ICE with her son in isolation in a dark room as punishment. The day after her release, other women in detention began a new strike.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” align=”align_center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

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[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_single_image image=”6131″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”thumbnail”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]Clara Long<\/a> is an immigration and border researcher with the US Program of Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n

Twitter: @clarychka<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_single_image image=”6136″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” align=”align_center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]     [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]Text by guest blogger Clara […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLocking Up Kids and Moms Can\u2019t be the Answer - End Child Detention<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/commentary\/locking-up-kids-and-moms-cant-be-the-answer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Locking Up Kids and Moms Can\u2019t be the Answer - End Child Detention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_single_image image=”6136″ alignment=”center” border_color=”grey” img_link_large=”” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”large”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_separator color=”grey” align=”align_center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]     [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]Text by guest blogger Clara […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/commentary\/locking-up-kids-and-moms-cant-be-the-answer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"End Child Detention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/endchilddetention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-05-05T14:00:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2015-05-06T13:32:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/6Omar.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"484\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"704\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cesia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cesia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/commentary\/locking-up-kids-and-moms-cant-be-the-answer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/endchilddetention.org\/commentary\/locking-up-kids-and-moms-cant-be-the-answer\/\",\"name\":\"Locking Up Kids and Moms Can\u2019t be the Answer - 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