{"id":180718,"date":"2016-08-29T18:29:46","date_gmt":"2016-08-30T00:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=180718"},"modified":"2016-08-29T18:30:40","modified_gmt":"2016-08-30T00:30:40","slug":"feds-considering-whether-to-close-private-immigrant-detention-centers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2016\/08\/feds-considering-whether-to-close-private-immigrant-detention-centers\/","title":{"rendered":"Feds consider closing private, for-profit immigrant detention centers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_180722\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-180722\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_0648_jpeg_800x1000_q100-771x578.jpeg\" alt=\"South Texas Family Residential Center\" width=\"771\" height=\"578\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_0648_jpeg_800x1000_q100-771x578.jpeg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_0648_jpeg_800x1000_q100-336x252.jpeg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_0648_jpeg_800x1000_q100-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/IMG_0648_jpeg_800x1000_q100.jpeg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Ryan McCrimmon \/ The Texas Tribune<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protestors left signs on the fence surrounding the South Texas Family Residential Center near Dilley, Texas on May 2, 2015.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The U.S. Department of Homeland Security\u00a0on Monday\u00a0called for a review of its current policy of detaining undocumented immigrants in private, for-profit facilities \u2014 several of which are in Texas.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes after the U.S. Department of Justice called for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2016\/08\/18\/justice-department-wants-phase-out-private-prison-\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2016\/08\/18\/justice-department-wants-phase-out-private-prison-\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1472579459972000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGfSlJ663ySX7ZN-kxkH-u5LLHoSA\">phasing out<\/a>\u00a0of its contracts with private facilities this month.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article originally appeared in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2016\/08\/29\/privatized-immigration-detention-centers-be-focus-\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Texas Tribune<\/a>,\u00a0a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In a statement, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said Homeland Security Advisory Council Chairman Judge William Webster will spearhead the review and form a committee to look into whether the current system should be abolished.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked that the Subcommittee consider all factors concerning [Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u2019s] detention policy and practice, including fiscal considerations,\u201d Johnson said. The review is due at the end of November.<\/p>\n<p>The shuttering of contracts with private companies used for immigration detention would affect several companies that operate in Texas, including the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America. The two companies have been under the microscope for years by opponents of for-profit detention but have gained even more notoriety since they began housing undocumented immigrant women and children in Karnes City and Dilley.<\/p>\n<p>The facility in Dilley is operated by\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cca.com\/facilities\/south-texas-family-residential-center\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.cca.com\/facilities\/south-texas-family-residential-center&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1472579459972000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFFPiuNQLisLoAkLWpJR3bKlDDspA\">Corrections Corporation of America<\/a>\u00a0and has about 2,400 beds, while the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/detention-facility\/karnes-county-residential-center\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/detention-facility\/karnes-county-residential-center&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1472579459972000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE24e9g58SR0pwrRgFxFsXzJZV7JA\">Karnes City<\/a>\u00a0unit operated by the GEO Group can hold about 600 people.<\/p>\n<p>Private immigration detention centers are also located in Webb County,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cca.com\/facilities\/houston-processing-center\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.cca.com\/facilities\/houston-processing-center&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1472579459972000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEBv3jUv_BZ0x8tRGhdkejOnsZ1sQ\">Houston<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/geogroup.com\/maps\/locationdetails\/32\" target=\"_blank\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/geogroup.com\/maps\/locationdetails\/32&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1472579459972000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG8sZNBrSSMQSvCUIAg-83oiGj_dQ\">Pearsall<\/a>\u00a0and several other locations across the state. Bob Libal, the executive director of Grassroots Leadership, a nonprofit organization that opposes private prisons and detention centers, said the country\u2019s private immigration-detention companies control more than 60 percent of the beds in the country.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am cautiously optimistic because I think there is plenty of evidence as to why DHS should end its contracts with private prisons,\u201d he told the Tribune\u00a0on Monday. \u201cThis is a system that has become very, very privatized and very troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Libal said a lot of the concerns mirror many of the reasons the Justice Department cited for severing ties with private prisons, including allegations of abuse and violence within those facilities. For years several undocumented immigrants have also engaged in weekslong hunger strikes to protest what they say is inhumane treatment by poorly trained detention officers.<\/p>\n<p>The private companies have said that\u00a0providing a safe environment at the facilities is their top priority, and that they work closely with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to ensure that goal is met.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Monday called for a review of its current policy of detaining undocumented immigrants in private, for-profit facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":180722,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[140,203,2260,116],"class_list":["post-180718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-border-and-immigration","tag-law-enforcement","tag-texas","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}