This morning, CISPES joined migrant justice organizations outside the White House as they delivered a letter to President Obama from mothers currently being held at the Karnes Family Detention Center in Texas. The mothers, who led a hunger strike in April, call on Obama to “free us and grant us refuge. Please give us a chance to demonstrate to you that we are honest, responsible, and hardworking mothers. We want our children in the future to be men and women who benefit society.”

CISPES joins the Karnes Refugee Moms, their family members, and migrant justice advocates in calling on the Obama administration to end the practice of imprisoning families and children that are fleeing violence and economic inequality. The US bears significant responsibility for the current security and economic crisis in Central America and Mexico. US pushed policies that have militarized security in the region under the rubric of the Drug War and destroyed local economies through free trade policies and privatizations must come to an end. The families and individuals fleeing these situations should be given refuge, not locked up in inhumane conditions.

See press release here.