‘Kids in cages! No access to simple dignities!’ Selena Gomez condemns the ‘inhumane’ conditions at migrant detention centers where children sleep in aluminum blankets and are denied toothbrushes and soap
- Selena Gomez, 26, took to Instagram on Saturday to raise awareness about the dire conditions children held in migrant detention centers face
- ‘Kids in cages! Sleeping on concrete floors with aluminum blankets! No access to simple dignities! How is this still happening?’ she posted
- She urged her followers to call their local representatives, joining a chorus of celebrities condemning the Trump administration for the migrant crisis
- A court filing from last week revealed that detained child migrants face appalling conditions including no showers for eight days and no toothbrushes
Selena Gomez is condemning the treatment of migrant children in detention camps where they are separated from their parents and live in appalling conditions at the southern U.S. border.
The 26-year-old actress is calling for change in a heartfelt Instagram post shared on Saturday night, rallying her fans to stand up to the ‘absolutely inhumane’ crisis.
‘Kids in cages! Sleeping on concrete floors with aluminum blankets! No access to simple dignities! How is this still happening???’ the actress hails from Texas and is of Mexican-American descent wrote on Saturday.
‘It’s absolutely inhumane to treat anyone like this let alone children. I can’t even imagine what they are going through. We need to get this to finally stop!’ she added.
Selena Gomez is condemning the treatment of migrant children in detention camps where they are separated from their parents and live in appalling conditions at the southern U.S. border through a heartfelt Instagram post shared Saturday
The former Disney star then urged her fans to call their local representatives to complain about the camps with the hope of sparking change.
The post racked up over 5million likes – but not everyone was supportive of the Come and Get it singer.
Some called her out for posting an alluring picture of herself while dedicating the caption to the detention camps, instead of sharing an image of the conditions at the border.
‘Because posting a glamorous pic of yourself really brings light to the situation,’ one Instagram user noted.
But most Instagram users thanked her for using her platform to speak out.
‘A women with power that knows how to use it for better change is also called a queen. I stan,’ one fan wrote. ‘
‘THIS is exactly how you’re supposed to use your platform for stuff that matter, thank u queen,’ another added.
‘Thank you for using your platform and addressing what is going on in this sick wold!!! We need more people like you,’ another added.
Migrants that arrive to the U.S.-Mexico border have been held in immigrant detention centers in appalling conditions.
In the children detention centers, minors are not only separated from their parents, they’re denied basic amenities like soap and toothbrushes and towels as they wait for word of their family’s citizenship status.
A case brought before the U.S. Court of Appeals filed last week asked for a federal judge to immediately require inspections and described dire conditions child migrants face including no showers for eight days, no diapers, no toothbrushes or soap and unsanitary conditions that lead to extreme cold and flu.
‘Kids in cages! Sleeping on concrete floors with aluminum blankets! No access to simple dignities! How is this still happening?’ Gomez posted. Detained children pictured resting on mats with aluminum blankets in a cage at a facility in McAllen, Texas in June 2018
In the children detention centers, minors are not only separated from their parents, they’re denied basic amenities like soap and toothbrushes and towels as they wait for word of their family’s citizenship status. A facility in McAllen, Texas pictured above in June 2018
So far since September six children have died while in U.S. Immigration custody. The shocking conditions have sparked nationwide ‘Close the Camps’ demonstrations. Migrant children pictured at a detention center in Homestead, Florida on June 28, 2019
So far since September six children have died while in U.S. Immigration custody.
The shocking conditions have sparked nationwide ‘Close the Camps’ demonstrations.
‘We’ve seen the images and heard the stories coming out of child detention centers,’ MoveOn.Org said on the detention center conditions while planning for a rally on July 2.
‘Children denied soap and toothbrushes, crowded into unsafe conditions. Separated from their families, subject to cruel treatment that leads to lasting traumas. And some dying in custody—or dying with parents as they cross the Rio Grande.
‘They are the byproduct of an intentional strategy by the Trump administration to terrorize immigrant communities and criminalize immigration—from imprisoning children in inhumane conditions to threatening widespread raids to break up families to covering up reports of immigrants dying in U.S. custody and abuses by ICE and CBP agents,’ the organization added.