Handwritten Letters from Previously Separated Moms Detained in Dilley

In the summer of 2018, the Trump Administration implemented a “zero-tolerance” prosecution policy at the southern border and forcibly separated thousands of immigrant children from their parents. Nearly 40 of these families, though reunified, are languishing in prolonged detention at the South Texas Family Residential Center (STFRC) in Dilley, Texas. Our partners at the Dilley Pro Bono Project, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, provide legal assistance to these families and daily bear witness to the trauma they have faced, and continue to face, at the hands of the U.S. government.

Twenty-two of these mothers wrote letters to the public about being forcibly separated from their children by the government, and their prolonged detainment. We invite you to read their stories, share them, and follow AILA National (@AILANational) and the American Immigration Council (@immcouncil) on Twitter.

As of November 30, 2018, these families were released from detention to continue their journeys toward long-term safety in the United States.

Watch our "Letters from Family Separation" video highlighting the voices of previously-separated mothers.

Related Resources

• Complaint Details Coercive Tactics Used by Immigration Officials on Separated Parents
• Complaint Documents 15 Cases of Family Separation at the Border
• Complaint Filed with DHS Oversight Bodies Calls for Improvements to Medical and Mental Health Care of Immigrants in Aurora Detention Center
• Civil and Human Rights Organizations File Joint Complaint Against DHS on Behalf of Pregnant Women Detained by ICE