Denver — U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) joined U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and 20 Senate colleagues to urge President Donald Trump not to reinstate the practice of family detention, in which children are detained with their family members in immigration facilities during immigration proceedings. The Trump Administration’s plans to revive this practice threaten the health and well-being of children and families.
“We strongly object to the failed and inhumane practice of detaining migrant families. We are deeply disturbed by reports that your Administration intends to revive this cruel policy, which has proven to be ineffective, costly, and devastating for children and families,” wrote Bennet, Durbin, and the senators.
In their letter, the senators argue that family detention poses serious risks to the mental and physical well-being of children. Medical and child welfare experts, including the Department of Homeland Security’s own medical consultants, have concluded that family detention exposes children and families to harm. It is also costly to taxpayers and does not deter migration. It costs $319 per day to detain a family in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, while Alternatives to Detention programs cost as little as $5 per person per day and ensure high compliance rates with immigration proceedings.
“There is simply no basis for reinstating this cruel, ineffective, and costly practice, particularly when there are effective solutions that, unlike family detention, do not permanently damage children’s health and well-being. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to abandon the use of family detention and instead pursue humane, evidence-based alternatives that prioritize the well-being of children and families while ensuring an orderly and lawful immigration system,” concluded the senators.
Earlier this month, Bennet joined U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and 31 Senate colleagues to urge the Trump Administration to ensure unaccompanied children in the immigration system receive legal representation. In 2024, Bennet and Senate colleagues called on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations to ensure the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review reports on the implementation of specialized children’s immigration courts. In 2023, Bennet introduced the Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act to combat the immigration court backlog and strengthen due process rights for unaccompanied migrant children.
In addition to Bennet and Durbin, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) signed the letter.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear President Trump:
We strongly object to the failed and inhumane practice of detaining migrant families. We are deeply disturbed by reports that your Administration has revived this cruel policy, which has proven to be ineffective, costly, and devastating for children and families.
There is a widespread consensus in the United States that family detention poses serious risks to the physical and mental well-being of children. Medical and child welfare experts—including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association—have consistently condemned this practice, warning that even short-term detention fails to meet basic child welfare standards and exposes children to lasting trauma. Even the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) own medical consultants have concluded that family detention presents a “high risk of harm to children and families.” The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers also determined that family detention should be discontinued.
Family detention is not just damaging to children and families; it is also costly and ineffective. It does not deter migration. It simply inflicts suffering while draining taxpayer funds at an exorbitant cost. DHS previously spent more than $866 million over a three-year period to maintain space to detain just over 2,500 families. Detaining a mother and her children in an ICE facility costs an astonishing $319 per day. In contrast, Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs—such as community-based case management—cost as little as $5 per person per day and have ensured high compliance rates with immigration proceedings.
There is simply no basis for reinstating this cruel, ineffective, and costly practice, particularly when there are effective solutions that, unlike family detention, do not permanently damage children’s health and well-being. For these reasons, we strongly urge you to abandon the use of family detention and instead pursue humane, evidence-based alternatives that prioritize the well-being of children and families while ensuring an orderly and lawful immigration system.