Hundreds of children are currently being held in immigration detention facilities in the United States.

Many of these children were living in American communities, attending school, and building friendships before being taken into custody with their parents. Some are as young as five or seven years old.

Childhood should not take place behind barbed wire.

Families and legal advocates report that children in detention experience anxiety, regression, limited schooling, and prolonged uncertainty. The Department of Homeland Security states that basic needs and classroom access are provided. But detention centers are not homes, and they are not schools.

Regardless of where someone stands on immigration policy, most Americans agree on one thing: children deserve special protection.

The United States has long recognized that minors require higher standards of care. Detention should not be the default response for families navigating immigration proceedings — especially when community-based alternatives exist that allow families to remain together while their cases move forward.

We call on the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to end the detention of children in immigration facilities.

Children should not grow up in confinement. Our immigration system can enforce the law without placing minors in detention.

Photo: Courtesy of the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier