Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined 8 of her colleagues in introducing the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, a companion bill to a proposal introduced in the House in October meant to reduce family detentions of immigrants and improve conditions in detention centers. “It is unacceptable that not only has the Trump administration spent weeks ripping children away from their parents, but they have also forced children and families into inhumane and shameful detention camps,” said Duckworth in a press release. “Our bill will hold the Department of Homeland Security accountable and ensure immigrant and refugee families are treated humanely and no longer torn apart or indefinitely detained.” The bill restricts family detentions and prevents the government from expanding resources to detain immigrants “except in instances where immigrants pose a flight risk or a risk to public safety.” It also requires the DHS Office of the Inspector General to conduct yearly, unannounced inspections of facilities, investigate deaths inside them, and terminates contracts with private prisons and local jails.
