PolicyLab

PolicyLab responded to a request for comments on a notice of proposed rulemaking from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would change policies regarding the detention of immigrant children and families. Current rules set strict standards for the detention and treatment of children by the federal government, including that children be held in the least restrictive setting and released as expeditiously as possible. The proposed rule would eliminate many protections for children and result in longer detention in facilities that are not required to meet state licensing standards to safely house children for extended periods of time. PolicyLab’s response cites the extensive research evidence showing the potential harms that this rule change could have on children and families, and encourages the Departments to end the practice of child and family detention altogether.