SACRAMENTO, CA— Assembly members Jose Medina (D-Riverside), Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona), Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), Eloise Reyes (D-San Bernardino), Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona), and Senators Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) and Richard D. Roth (D-Riverside) released the following statement in response to the announcement that the General Services Administration (GSA) is looking to lease space in the Inland Empire to detain unaccompanied children.
“As representatives of the Inland Empire, we condemn the use of space in any location, but especially in our community, to detain unaccompanied children. Together, we have sent a letter urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency to end its search for a location in the Inland Empire that would assist the Trump Administration in its efforts to expand detention centers, allow families to be separated and detained, or weaken the safeguards that currently exist to protect children in government custody.
Child Detention Centers for unaccompanied minors are a violation of human rights. Unaccompanied child detention is harmful, costly, and completely unnecessary. United, we oppose any and all exploration for the establishment of any detention center here in the Inland Empire.”
