Are CBP ’s Filthy and Inhumane Immigrant Detention Camps Necessary?

This report came just over a month afterDHS OIG ’s May 30 report on “dangerous overcrowding” in El Paso.What are the conditions in CBP ’s detention camps?Across the entire border, CBPwas detaining from May to June between 4 and 5 times as many people as its facilities were designed to hold. It is impossible to list here everything that the OIG reports exposed, but here are some of what they found:A cell with a maximum capacity of 35 held 155 detaineesA cell with a maximum capacity of 8 held 41 detaineesDetainees were wearing soiled clothing for days or weeks.Children at three of the five Border Patrol facilities visited had no access to showersMost single adults had not had a shower in CBP custody despite several being held for as long as a monthSome single adults were held in standing room only conditions for a weekDetainees standing on toilets in the cells to make room and gain breathing space, thus limiting access to the toiletsA diet of only bologna sandwiches. Some detainees on this diet were becoming constipated and required medical attention.Standing-room-only conditions for days or weeks.The OIG found that hundreds of children had been detained in these conditions for more than a week. Dozens of children who were under the age of 7 were held for over 2 weeks. Adults were being caged for a month in unsanitary conditions that were spreading illness. Infamously, the Department of Justiceis defending these conditions by arguing that a “safe and sanitary” requi...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs