Solidarity with Detained Mothers and Children

DilleyFamiliesThe Ignatian Solidarity Network joins the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) in supporting migrant women and children being held in the South Texas Detention Center in Dilley, Texas. Hundreds of immigrant women and children seeking refuge in the United States have been imprisoned without charge, many for months, in the detention center.

Many of the women and children are fleeing from violence in their home countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Rather than allowing the women and children to be released to family or friends living in the United States while they wait for their cases to be heard, federal officials have decided to detain them in hopes of deterring future migrants from making the journey to the United States’ southern border. While the immigration system of the United States is complex, it is clearly unlawful to hold women and children for an undetermined amount of time without charge. Families crossing the border for a better future are stripped of that hope as they are detained in a prison for an unknown period of time.

We invite you to write letters of support to the women and children with the hope that they may feel less alone as they await their fates.

CLINIC’s tips for writing a letter:

  • Write a little bit about yourself (whether you have children; what parish you belong to; what you do for work; general area where you live – do not provide a home address).
  • Write about your concern for their wellbeing.
  • Provide some words of encouragement. Let them know they are in your thoughts and prayers.
  • You may include artwork, children’s drawings, etc.
  • Consider writing your letter in Spanish or an indigenous language of Central America.
  • Send the letters in unsealed envelopes. Note that the letters will be opened by the facility to search for contraband.
  • Do not send gifts or money; they will be confiscated by authorities.
  • Click here to view samples of letters that were sent to the detention center in Artesia.

We encourage you to photograph and/or post your letters on Facebook or other social media and to tweet out messages about them on Twitter, using the hashtag #DilleyFamilies.

How to submit letters

If you have questions, email us: [email protected]

Send letters to:
Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
Attn. Letters for Dilley Families
8757 Georgia Avenue, Suite 850
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Additional Resources

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