Rostam Blog
Closing A Family Immigration Detention Center: Karnes County Residential Center
The controversial immigrant detention center, Karnes County Residential Center, has been slated to end its practice of detaining families. The facility is operated by the nation’s second-largest for profit prison company, Boca Raton, Fla.-based Geo Group, and overseen by ICE. The Karnes facility began detaining entire families in August of 2014, holding 226 families at any given time. That’s women, children and infants housed in a detention center as many of them seek asylum. Such family detention centers did not just happen overnight. The United States went from one family detention center in Pennsylvania to three under the Obama Administration.That is an increase of 95 beds to 3,700 in just one year.
This expansion of family detention centers is a direct response to the many immigrants fleeing the upsurge in rampant violence overtaking Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. As Central America continues to be one of the most dangerous regions in the world (particularly against women) an increase of women and children have fled to the United States seeking asylum . As these immigrants enter the United States illegally many governmental officials are at a lost for the best solution.With what began as a response to containing a humanitarian issue has transformed into what many view as the imprisonment of families who are simply asylum seekers. Many of the women and children being held in these detention centers are fleeing rampant sexual violence and forced gang recruitment. Thus many advocates view theses women and children as being twice-victimized, first by the violence they fled and secondly by the detention they now experience in the United States.
Criticisms of Inhumane Treatment
Regardless of what the best solution may be many advocates against family detention centers unequivocally agree that family detention centers are an immoral social experiment littered by abuses. Since its 2014 opening there have been numerous complaints at the Karnes County Residential Center.
● Reports of sexual abuse on women;
● Families forced to stand in hot sun to be served food;
● Lack of proper medical care “we will only see your child if fever is above 100°;”
● Majority of women report severe weight loss in children;
● Bonds are set as high as $20,000;
● A law library that is empty;
● Forms are only provided in English.
Such complaints at Karnes facility are corroborated by ex-employees such as social worker Olivia Lopez, who felt forced to quit just after six months due to what she described as unethical demands of the facility.
“There is no therapy for women whose children are not in school because there is no child care, so they bring the children to session,” she said.Instead of discussing the women’s histories of sexual assaults and abuse, which could help their asylum cases, she said, “we spoke in generalities.”She said she saw a 5-year-old Central American girl, who had been raped and physically abused during the journey, lose weight at the detention center and start wearing diapers. When she reported the girl’s conditions to her boss, a psychologist, she said he discharged the girl with a note saying she was sleeping and eating better. When López submitted a note in response reiterating that the girl had lost weight, another supervisor told her she was mistaken.”
Policy Recommendations: End Family Detention Centers
With a prison like model, inadequate medical and legal services and a plethora of criticisms, many opposed to family detention centers are elated to see Karnes close, however two other such facilities remain open. In the past such asylum seekers were not considered a threat to society and were typically allowed to be out on bond or with an ankle bracelet. But with the surge of immigrants fleeing violence of Central America, the Obama Administration appears to be displaying these familiy prisons as a deterrent to would be asylum seekers.
However, there many who view something fundamentally wrong with detaining women and children in this manner and have consistently advocated for better policy . Closing familiy detentions and using alternatives to detentions (ankle bracelets or supervision ) has long been advised not only as a more humane treatment but a far cheaper alternative. In addition to closing family detention centers, and using alternatives to detention, advocates also recommend these asylum seekers be granted government appointed counsel. Hopefully the closing of one family detention center is a trend that is continued.
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