In the United States of America, in the year 2019, we have a detention center for children made up of tents. It’s on the edge of a swamp in the path of hurricanes. This for-profit child detention center houses 2,200 traumatized children who were separated from their families for the sin of fleeing violence. Its numbers are projected to quickly grow by 50 percent.

On April 8, national law was broken when three Florida congresswomen were denied entry into the for-profit Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children. What are they hiding?

As leaders of a local grass-roots organization, Central Mainers For Change, we decided it is time to shed light on this humanitarian crisis. We urge you to call our elected officials in Washington. Ask them where they stand on this issue. Then demand that they go to the detention center so they can see for themselves what is happening there. Hopefully, they won’t remain so silent.

Also, demand that our representatives support the legislation brought forth by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif. The “Shut Down Child Prison Camps Act” – S.397 (Senate); H.R. 1069 (House) – demands that our government shut down unregulated child prison camps for immigrant children, like the one in Homestead, Florida.

We are Americans. As Americans, we know we are better than taking children from their families and putting them in cages and tents.

Mary Dunn and Stryker Adams

Central Mainers For Change

Waterville

« Previous

Letter to the editor: Education, adverse-effects monitoring must be part of vaccine promotion

Next »

Letter to the editor: Zoning should keep children’s health in mind