Homestead

Billboard in South Florida Calls Attention Toward Plight of Migrant Children

The sign reads, "You are now 7 miles away from where kids are locked up."

A bright yellow billboard calling attention to detained migrant children sits just seven miles away from the detention center in Homestead.

The sign reads, "You are now 7 miles away from where kids are locked up." It's located on Southwest 117th Avenue and South Dixie Highway, going south toward Homestead on US 1.

"We wanted to reach the everyday person who doesn't know that Homestead was the site of prolonged and indefinite detention of immigrant children," said Denise Bell of Amnesty International USA, the human rights organization that put up the billboard ahead of World Children's Day on Wednesday.

The group also put up another sign in Orlando, just 10 miles outside of Disney World: "We don't believe in locking up children. Do you?"

"Under this administration what we see time and time again are policies that seek to deter and punish people seeking safety, even children," Bell said.

In August, the children were transferred out of the Homestead facility following intense protests by activists and Democratic lawmakers. The center is still operational until Nov. 30, when the center's contract with Comprehensive Health Services is set to expire.

Over 14,000 children were held at the facility between March 2018 and August 2019, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The billboard will stay up until mid-December.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not return requests for comment.

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