Stop the Fast-Track Deportation of Unaccompanied Children

End the fast-track deportation of unaccompanied migrant children. CNN's reporting from an immigration court in Harlingen, Texas last Monday showed 25 children — some as young as 2 years old — appearing before a judge, many without attorneys, to argue for their right to stay in this country. A 13-year-old boy named Angel broke down in tears after being denied asylum and told the judge, "I have no one. I have nothing." That is happening right now, in American courtrooms, under your watch. Lauren Fisher Flores, legal director at ProBar, said she has never in 20 years seen immigration courts strip children of their right to seek safety. There are an estimated 25,000 children currently in this system. Denying legal representation to minors facing deportation is not enforcement — it is cruelty. Vote to restore due process protections for unaccompanied children and oppose any legislation that accelerates removal proceedings without guaranteed legal counsel. This is a basic question of human decency, and your constituents are watching.

First sent on September 29 by Jeffrey Barlow