The Trump-Pence Administration Wants to Indefinitely Lock Up Immigrant Children 

Last month, the Trump-Pence administration unveiled a proposed regulation, known as the “family detention rule,” that would roll back basic protections for immigrant children that enter the U.S. Under this inhumane policy, the government could detain immigrant children indefinitely in harsh, jail-like conditions — jeopardizing their health and well-being.

The "Families Belong Together National Day of Action," held June 30, 2018, protested the administration's cruel family separation and detention practices and demanded families be reunited.

What Would the Administration's Proposed Family Detention Rule Do?

The rule would dismantle a decades-old agreement, referred to as the Flores Settlement Agreement, or the Flores settlement. The Flores settlement defined basic protections for children that enter the U.S. and are placed in government custody.

Under the Flores settlement, the government must either release children shortly after they’re detained or transfer them to safe, licensed shelters that meet minimum standards while they wait for the results of their immigration proceedings. Trump’s proposed family detention rule would eliminate these safeguards.

How Would it Affect Immigrant Children?

The administration’s rule would likely direct immigration officials to detain children for even longer periods of time. Research shows that even brief periods of detention can cause long-lasting psychological trauma and mental health risks for children, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The rule would also lower the standards that detention facilities have to meet. As a result, children could be detained in inferior, jail-like conditions without access to adequate health care or services.

Planned Parenthood believes that children and families deserve to be safe and healthy, regardless of their immigration status. That’s why we’re joining our partners in the immigration rights community in opposing the administration’s cruel proposal.

How Can I Help Oppose It?

There’s still time to tell Trump that the family detention rule is dangerous and inhumane. The administration is collecting input from the public about the rule’s effects until Election Day, November 6, 2018.

We won't sit by silently while the administration continues to strip immigrants of their basic health, rights, and freedoms. Whether it’s separating families at the border or penalizing immigrants for accessing basic needs and services through the proposed “public charge” rule, the administration has shown that it will stop at nothing to advance its racist, anti-immigrant agenda. Join us in taking action now!