Sunday, April 30, 2017

Action Alert: No Licensed Baby Jails!

In December, a Texas judge ruled that family detention centers could not be licensed as childcare facilities under current law, something the state was trying to do to push back against all the accusations of illegal child abuse...hoping to make the child abuse seem legal and all. The state was not trying to make the family detention centers follow the rules of licensed childcare facilities - just trying to let them get the designation without following the rules.  Not cool.

Even more not cool, though, in an attempt to get around the judge's ruling, the Texas Senate is trying to fast track a bill, S.B. 1018, that would give family detention centers explicit permission to not follow the rules of licensed childcare, which they are not doing anyway, and to still get designated as licensed childcare facilities.  This is all so that the federal courts cannot rule the whole model of family detention centers to be the child abuse and violation of international law that it is (see the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child).

The bill, no surprise, was drafted by lobbyists of the private prison company GEO group which, guess what?  Runs family detention centers on contract.

If the bill passes, it will be a free pass for mamas and babies to be held in illegal prisons indefinitely by the federal government again.  This must not happen.  Call your state senator right away, Mamas, and tell them to vote no on S.B. 1018.  There has been some talk that the Senate might suspend its own rules so it can be voted on immediately Monday, which may or may not happen, so call first thing, please, and tell your Senator no suspension of rules and no, no, no on SB 1018!  Hurry!