Senator Bob Menendez Slams Feds on 'Enhanced' Detention Policy for Undocumented Families

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey blasted the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known by its acronym ICE, for the changes it announced in running family detention centers, saying undocumented women and children who come to the U.S. should not be detained.

"The announcement that the Administration will implement enhanced oversight for family detention centers after the drastic expansion of family detention over the past year is deeply disappointing," Menendez said in a statement. "The Administration's efforts simply do not go far enough and are an unacceptable response to adequately address the grave concerns of detaining women and children."

He said keeping family detention as an automatic default for immigrant families is unacceptable.

"This policy is a disservice to those that are fleeing violence and do not represent a flight risk or pose any danger to our national security. The fact remains that we must stop acting like there are practical reasons for locking up women and children, especially when the negative mental health repercussions are abysmal," he said.

ICE, an agency in the Department of Homeland Security, recently announced the creation of an advisory committee regarding the family detention centers.

"Following last summer's unprecedented spike in illegal migration of unaccompanied minors and adults with children at the Rio Grande Valley, we responded with decisive action on a number of fronts. One element of this comprehensive approach was opening additional facilities for adults with children, as they wait for a resolution to their immigration case," said ICE Director Sarah Saldaña.

She said the agency will "routinely review and evaluate our facilities to ensure that we are providing the level of care required by our Family Residential Standards, we understand the unique and sensitive nature of detaining families and we are committed to maintaining the optimal level of care."

The agency said because of the sensitive nature of detaining adults with children, it will implement a review process for any family detained beyond 90 days and every 60 days to ensure detention is appropriate while families await conclusion of their immigration proceedings.

Menendez said efforts should be directed at catching real criminals or those who pose national security threat to the U.S. rather than helpless undocumented women and children.

"Instead we are blindly funnelling families into privately-owned detention centers and paying for it with taxpayer dollars. Put simply, there is no humane way to detain women and children. Detention should be used only as a last resort, and I will continue to do everything I can to get the Administration to rethink this misguided policy and change course," he said.

Last October, Menendez joined nine senators in sending a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson over concerns about the decision to build a 2,400-bed immigration detention facility for women and children in Dilley, Texas.

Johnson reiterated that "our borders are not open to illegal migration, and that individuals apprehended crossing the border illegally are a Department priority and that ICE should allocate enforcement resources accordingly, consistent with our laws and values."