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Affirming that the imprisonment and prolonged detention of asylum-seeking children and families is inhumane and counter to international law, and calling on Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to issue an emergency removal order and immediately close the Berks County Residential Center.
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WHEREAS, The Berks detention facility is located about 70 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Leesport, Pennsylvania, and is one of only three family immigration detention centers in the country contracted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to imprison children and families; and
WHEREAS, Numerous families, including young children, have been detained at the Berks facility for long stretches of time, often over a year. Many of these families have fled dangerous and life-threatening violence, and came to the United States seeking asylum and safety; and
WHEREAS, Children and families incarcerated at the Berks detention facility have suffered severe adverse effects from their imprisonment including documented medical neglect, psychological trauma, and persistent harassment. Multiple individuals held at the facility have expressed intent to self-harm, and a 19 year old woman was the victim of institutional rape by a employee at the facility; and
WHEREAS, It is well known that systems of family detention are incapable of satisfying basic obligations for the health and well-being of children and families in custody. Numerous reports by such entities as the Government Accountability Office, various subunits of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the American Bar Association, and nonprofit advocacy organizations have made clear negative findings regarding family detention centers; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers published a report in September 2016 stating, "detention is generally neit...
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