Florida Democrats Thank President Biden for Halting Reopening of Homestead Detention Facility

The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida has released the following statement:

The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF) thanks President Biden for opposing the reopening of the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children, which served as a youth refugee detention center during the Trump administration and has a history of operating under an immoral, for-profit prison model.

“We are pleased that President Biden makes the health and safety of unaccompanied minor children in US custody a priority, even in the face of inheriting gutted government agencies like HHS from the Trump Administration.” said Michael Calderin, president of the DPCF.

“Every effort should be made to expedite the placement of these children with family members or approved home-based sponsors.”

Special thanks to Democratic National Committee member Thomas Kennedy for his tireless advocacy on behalf of unaccompanied minors coming across our Southern border. On March 13, 2021, Kennedy presented a resolution to the State Executive Committee of the Florida Democratic Party that called on the president to oppose the move to reopen the detention center. The resolution was not voted on due to a technicality. Kennedy effectively used that setback to continue to highlight the issue in the media.

Prior to the 2020 presidential election, many members of the DPCF, as well as Democratic presidential candidates and elected officials, traveled to Homestead in South Miami-Dade County to protest the Trump administration immigration policy of incarcerating children in general and in a dreadful for-profit facility like Homestead in particular.

We also wish to thank our present and former Democratic elected officials who have spoken out against this reopening, some of whom include Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava, Rep. Anna Eskamani, Rep. Angie Nixon, Senator Annette Taddeo, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

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The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida is an official charter of the Florida Democratic Party.