Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) announced the Compassionate Calling and Immigrant Family Reunification Act of 2018 today to put an end to the abusive practice of charging detained immigrant parents extortionary rates to use the phone to either contact their children that have been separated from them and placed in detention facilities or to contact federal agencies to learn where their children are being held. Pallone introduced the bill following an alarming report that at least one detention facility is charging parents $8.00 per minute to place calls.
“It’s bad enough the Trump Administration separated more than 2,300 children from their parents, but now the detention facilities are extorting parents by charging them outrageous rates-as high as $8.00 per minute-to use the phone to call their children or to find out where their children are being detained. These outrageous rates are one more insult as desperate parents try to weave their way through the bureaucracy to find their children. It is an inexcusable insult to injury," Pallone said.
Pallone continued, “My legislation will put an end to this needlessly punitive practice and direct the Trump Administration and the FCC to ensure that detained parents can make these calls free of charge. It is the least the Administration can do for the families enduring the cruel separation policy that never should have been instituted in the first place."
The Compassionate Calling and Immigrant Family Reunification Act would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reinstate the recent inmate calling order- which includes immigration detention facilities-and would direct the Trump Administration to ensure immigrant parents can call their separated children without charge.
The inmate calling order was finalized in 2015 to ensure that inmate calling service rates were reasonable and fair for inmates and their families. Following President Trump’s inauguration, new FCC Chairman Ajit Pai refused to defend key parts of the order in court including a cap on rates for intrastate calls. After the FCC refused to defend the inmate calling order in court, several key provisions were struck down leaving inmates and immigrants in detention facilities without protections against extortionary rates to place a call to their families.
