We're on our second weekend and we're 80% of the way to 5000 signatures. After the Vice President's tour of the Donna Processing Facility and the McAllen Border Patrol Station, we continue to be presented with a false choice between detaining and separating families at the border or urging Congress to further fund efforts to close our borders to refugee and asylum seekers.  Alternatives to detention remain. The Family Case Management Program was nearly 100% effective, with 99.3% of families enrolled attending their Immigration Court Hearings and appointments with ICE.

The Family Case Management Program was not only 99% effective, but also cost the United States government 3% of what we are currently spending to maintain the horrid and inhumane conditions at our borders.

How much did FCMP cost?
FCMP cost approximately $38 each day per family unit. By contrast, ICE family detention costs nearly $320 per person each day. For a family of one parent and two children, for example, enrollment in FCMP costs a, fraction or 4%, of family detention costs for the same family. For that family, 20 days enrolled in the FCMP costs $760, compared to $19,200 in an ICE family detention center.

Please spend at least a few moments of your Saturday continuing to spread information and share this petition with your friends and family, and through your social media. Every time I do, I see a new name from my own community that I thought must have seen this already. Next week we will begin reviewing the next steps available to us in our efforts to making this issue heard and addressed in Washington.