Hispanic Federation Condemns Trump Administrations Latest Effort to Abuse Immigrant Children

Leading Latino Civil Rights Coalition Calls Upon Congress to Protect Unaccompanied Minors

WASHINGTON, DC — Hispanic Federation, the nation’s leading Latino nonprofit membership organization, today condemned the Trump Administration’s latest efforts to deport unaccompanied minors in violation of federal law. In a letter to Congress Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asked for the authority to deport unaccompanied children who are fleeing violence in Central America back to the countries from which they came. Under current law, unaccompanied immigrant children from  non-contiguous countries such as those from Central America are taken into custody by the Department of Health and Human Services, which works to put them into the care of a sponsor or family member in the United States.  

“Hispanic Federation strongly condemns the latest efforts by the Trump Administration to harm and punish Central American immigrants,” stated José Calderón, President of Hispanic Federation. “It is beyond heartless to seek authority from Congress to ignore federal law and deport innocent immigrant children to violent environments where their very lives are in serious danger. We call upon Congress to immediately reject Secretary Nielsen’s request and reaffirm our nation’s commitment to treating refugee children with the care and dignity required by law.”  

This latest outrage toward immigrant children comes on the heels of the Trump Administration’s infamous zero-tolerance family-separation policy and their decision to force asylum seekers at the southwest border to wait in Mexico in squalid refugee camps for years pending a court ruling on their cases.  

“The Trump Administration has made clear their hostility and contempt toward Latino immigrants from day one,” stated Brent Wilkes, Senior Vice President for Institutional Development for Hispanic Federation. “Congress should reject this outlandish request and focus its attention on addressing the root causes of the devastating violence and economic instability in Central America. Our priority should be to help our neighboring Central American nations overcome the challenges they face rather than walling off the problem and abandoning our nation’s commitment to the humane treatment of immigrant children.”