WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell issued the following statement in response to recent reports that Maxwell Air Force Base may be considered as a possible site for an emergency detention center to house unaccompanied minors:

“It is my understanding that Maxwell Air Force Base is being considered as a possible site for an emergency detention center to house unaccompanied immigrant children while they await their due process hearings,” said Rep. Sewell. “I am supportive of the Obama Administration’s efforts to place these children on military bases where they will be accounted for and their basic needs met as they await their due process hearings as required under our current law. This is a humanitarian crisis and I believe we have a moral obligation to protect and treat unaccompanied children with care and compassion. Should Maxwell Air Force Base be selected as a site, we as Alabamians, as we have always done, must rise to the call of duty and follow the law.  This humanitarian crisis at the border highlights the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform and Congress needs to act now.”  

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