Today’s Action: Demand the closure of child prisons

There are at least 14,000 migrant children imprisoned across the country, as a result of Trump’s Zero Tolerance immigration policy. And that number is growing every day.

Tornillo is one such example, a temporary camp opened in June. Originally built to hold 360 with a plan to close within 30 days, it now impounds 1,800 children, who live in makeshift tents behind high-wire fences. Contracts show Trump has plans to keep Tornillo open into 2020.

Any time spent locked up under these horrific and terrifying conditions as a young one can have lasting trauma — and the average stay for children in Tornillo is 25 days, with many remaining for months at a time. But the Trump administration is showing no signs of acknowledging or ceasing the damage they have wrought on these innocents… and their new policies now make it even harder and more intimidating for sponsors to rescue children.

Call or email your Members of Congress and tell them to work swiftly to shut down migrant child prisons like Tornillo, and change our policy to allow these children to live with their family members without fear of being reported.

In addition to the gross overstuffing of its young residents, Tornillo is run by unvetted employees who have not undergone any required FBI background checks — a huge danger to the babes with whom they are entrusted, who face physical and sexual abuse from their supervisors.

And although federal regulation requires a ratio of 1 mental health clinician per every 12 children, Tornillo currently has a rate of 1:43 and was as high as 1:55 in October. With the deeply traumatizing effects of imprisonment, the children do not even have proper access to those who could best support them during their detention.

We can only hope that Trump’s brutal tactics will face their proper judgement in history — but in the meantime, thousands of children need our help NOW.

Email or call (202.224.3121) your Members of Congress and call for a new policy that closes child prisons and allows family members to reunite with these children without fear of retaliation.