Dexter Introduces Legislation to Protect Children's Dignity and Due Process in Immigration Custody

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. (OR-03) today introduced the Dignity and Due Process for Children Act, legislation establishing clear, enforceable protections for immigrant children in federal custody.

"We have all seen the stories: babies kidnapped by ICE, elementary school children standing before immigration judges alone, and families deported with the force of the U.S. military. Our tax dollars pay for all of it, and it must end. As long as the Trump administration continues to place children in immigration custody, Congress has a responsibility to establish clear protections for their safety, dignity, and legal rights," said Dexter. "This bill is the floor, not the ceiling. While we fight to end child detention altogether, we must ensure that every child in federal custody is protected by basic standards of due process and humane treatment."

The Dignity and Due Process for Children Act establishes three core protections:

• Prohibits ICE from detaining unaccompanied children. Children who are alone or without a parent present cannot be taken into immigration enforcement custody.
• Bans coerced legal waivers. No unaccompanied child can be pressured into signing any document affecting their legal rights or immigration status without an attorney present.
• Bars military resources from child deportations. Military planes, personnel, and assets have no place in the removal of children from this country.

"Over the last year, we have seen unparalleled attacks on the safety and due process rights of children by the Trump administration. The Dignity and Due Process for Children Act is a critical step towards ensuring that children are not pressured to give up their rights or swept up in reckless and aggressive immigration enforcement operations," said Sarah Mehta, the Deputy Director for Policy and Government Affairs for Immigration at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Since taking office, Dexter has successfully secured the release of five children imprisoned in immigration custody, including a seven-year-old who was detained outside of an urgent care and four U.S. citizen children who were unlawfully held for weeks without access to counsel. Dexter is also a co-sponsor of the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, to end child detention.

The Dignity and Due Process for Children Act is supported by 25 House Democrats, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Greg Casar, Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The legislation is endorsed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), National Center for Youth Law, National Immigrant Justice Center, and Acacia Center for Justice.

To read the full bill text, click here. For a one-page fact sheet, click here.

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