MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont has joined 18 other states and the District of Columbia in seeking relief for immigrant children held in detention centers at the southern border.

Attorney General T.J. Donovan said Wednesday that he has filed a legal brief arguing that the federal government has failed to meet its legal requirement to hold children in “safe and sanitary” condition.

The state urges the court to grant the immigrant children immediate relief.

Donovan says “the treatment of children detained at border is contrary to the rule of law and it is un-American.” He added that it’s “a stain on our country.”

The action comes amid a worldwide outcry over conditions for children at facilities not meant to hold them longer than 72 hours.

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