Celebrities Call for Closure of ICE Detention Center in Dilley, Texas
From left: Madonna, Pedro Pascal, Ms. Rachel, Javier Bardem and Keke Palmer
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images (2); Gilbert Flores/Penske Media/Getty Images; Amy Sussman/Getty Images (2)
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A long list of actors, artists, filmmakers, physicians, organizations and policy experts signed a letter demanding the “immediate closure” of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, a prison-like facility used to hold children and families following ICE raids in the United States.
The letter, which calls upon the federal government and private prison operator CoreCivic, has been signed by Madonna, Pedro Pascal, Ms. Rachel, John Legend, Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo, Brittney Griner, America Ferrera, Elliot Page, Raffi, Jane Fonda, Brandi Carlile, Hannah Einbinder, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, Wunmi Mosaku, Glennon Doyle, Billy Porter, Keke Palmer, Hasan Minhaj, Katie Couric, Susan Sarandon and dozens of others.
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“Children held in immigration detention endure trauma, neglect and conditions that violate basic standards of health, safety, dignity and human rights,” reads the letter, which calls for systemic change and accountability. “Court filings of abuse against children have included refusals to provide clean water, rotten food contaminated with worms, dangerous medical neglect, sleep deprivation, denial of legal counsel, the separation of children from their families, and retaliation against families protesting the inhumane conditions. Children belong in schools and on playgrounds, not in detention centers.”
The publication of the letter, which is open for public signatures on Change.org, comes amid mounting and months-long scrutiny of the facility. Multiple reports have cited unsafe conditions within the detention center, including recent cases of measles, contaminated food and water, inadequate medical care, severe mistreatment of detainees and illegal imprisonment. The facility received widespread attention because it’s where federal authorities sent 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos after arresting him with his father in Minneapolis amid controversial ICE raids in the city. Images of Ramos went viral as it showed him being taken into custody while wearing a Spider-Man backpack.
Ms. Rachel, a popular and beloved educator and entertainment personality, has been speaking out about Dilley and the facility’s reportedly dire conditions as she attempts to help the children being held there. “Every child, everywhere, deserves to feel safe, to be cared for, and to be treated with dignity,” Ms. Rachel said in a statement. “We can all agree that no child should be locked in an immigration detention center and subjected to these cruel conditions. This is not who we want to be.”
The letter and current list of signatories (edited down to include entertainment industry names) is below.
Close Dilley ICE Detention Center: Protect Children
No child should be locked in an immigration detention center. We, the undersigned, call for the immediate closure of the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) family detention center in Texas and an end to the detention of children and families. Children held in immigration detention endure trauma, neglect and conditions that violate basic standards of health, safety, dignity and human rights.
The harms of detaining children are known and well documented. Court filings of abuse against children have included refusals to provide clean water, rotten food contaminated with worms, dangerous medical neglect, sleep deprivation, denial of legal counsel, the separation of children from their families, and retaliation against families protesting the inhumane conditions.
Children belong in schools and on playgrounds, not in detention centers. We urge the federal government and CoreCivic to close the Dilley facility immediately, return children and families to the homes and communities they were taken from and to end child imprisonment now. Our commitment does not end with closure. We demand transparency, accountability, and systemic reforms to prevent these abuses from happening anywhere in the United States.
Sign on to help protect children and their families.
Abdi Nazemian, artist
Abby Wambach, artist
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, artist
Ali Wentworth, artist
Aisha Tyler, artist
Al Madrigal, artist
America Ferrera, artist
Anna Akana, artist
Aron Accurso, arti