FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2023

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Emily Morris, 213-457-7458

NILC Statement on Reports that the Biden Administration is Considering Restarting Family Detention

WASHINGTON — Kica Matos, executive vice president of programs and strategy at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement in response to reports that the Biden administration is considering detaining families apprehended at the border:

“As an organization that previously sued to shed light on the cruel practice of detaining families seeking safety in our country, we are outraged by reports that the Biden administration is weighing its reinstatement. This shameful and immoral practice, which President Biden has rightly condemned and discontinued, inflicts lasting harm on children and families. It goes against the values we aspire to as a nation, while doing nothing to advance a humane and orderly immigration system. Reviving family detention sets us back and sends a misguided message that criminalizing those seeking refuge is the right solution. It would be a grave error and a new low for an administration already down a backwards path of embracing failed deterrence policies at the border.”

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