As the migrant crisis on the U.S. border with Mexico intensifies, government agency leaders have been invited to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

This is a human rights disaster. It is one we, as a country, are responsible for and perpetuating. President Trump is quoted stating "“Border Patrol did not train to be doctors and nurses and janitors. That's not what they trained to to be." Exactly. These facilities were not built for this purpose and they are failing miserably at providing access to medical care, adequate food and water, and basic sanitation and living conditions. There is an alternative. 

The Family Case Management Program (FCMP) was abruptly and unnecessarily terminated in June 2017, despite having been funded by Congress and despite its demonstrated cost-savings, high compliance rates, and more appropriate approach to families seeking protection.

ICE has demonstrated repeatedly that it is willing to open new and costly immigration detention centers or expand to other facilities with little notice and at enormous cost to the agency — costs that the agency clearly cannot afford and spends in defiance of Congressional appropriations. Instead of seeking to expand family detention by up to 15,000 beds, ICE could easily redirect its spending and attention to reinstating the FCMP,
investing in the program and implementing it across geographic areas where protection-seeking families and others would most benefit from it.

Please take some time today to familiarize yourself with the Family Case Management Program. (Link Here) It was an incredible success. As a Social Worker, I can tell you there is an immense difference that is made by effective case management and care coordination provided by qualified and trained professionals.

The White House is telling us the "system is overwhelmed." (Vice President Pence, 2019) and that "Border Patrol did not train to be doctors and nurses and janitors." (President Trump, 2019) It is time we funded a program that we know works; a program that will connect these families with Immigration Courts, a program that includes referrals to trained medical and social services agencies, and a program that this current administration has seen a 99% success from. 

Petitioning our government is a right granted to us by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Do you think you can get just one person to sign this petition today? If each of us can, we'll be well past our goal of hitting 5000 signatures by midnight.