In McAllen, Texas, family detention of immigrants has been reinstated at a South Texas facility after being paused during the Biden administration, as per a legal nonprofit group providing assistance to migrant families. The Karnes County detention center, around 50 miles southeast of San Antonio, now holds fourteen immigrant families, some with children as young as one year old, according to RAICES, the organization offering services to these families. These families hail from various countries, including Colombia, Romania, Iran, Angola, Russia, Armenia, Turkey, and Brazil.
Faisal Al-Juburi, RAICES’ chief external affairs officer, reported that these families were detained near the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. The duration of their stay in the United States varied significantly, with some families being present for only 20 days, while others had been in the country for up to ten years. Prior to this shift, RAICES had been assisting adult detainees at the center; however, the center recently transitioned to focus on family detainment when the adult detainees were relocated.
The practice of detaining immigrant families has been a point of contention through various U.S. administrations. Both the Obama and Trump administrations maintained policies of family detention while their immigration cases were pending. Trump notably implemented severe restrictions on asylum, coupled with a divisive policy of separating children from their parents at the U.S. border, which faced widespread criticism for being inhumane. Although the Biden administration had largely ceased the practice, discussions were held about its potential reinstatement earlier in 2023.
U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement has not provided any comments on the situation, despite requests. Meanwhile, Geo Group, the private entity managing the Karnes County Immigration Processing Center, stated that the facility has a capacity of accommodating up to 1,328 individuals. The company’s contract with the federal government extends through August 2029, and it expects to generate approximately $79 million in its first year of operation.
In addition to the Karnes County center, another facility is being prepared for family detention. CoreCivic, another detention center operator, recently announced a contract with ICE to accommodate immigrant families at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, which has a capacity for 2,400 individuals.
Concerns have been raised by immigration advocates regarding the well-being of children held in these detention facilities. Dr. Alan Shapiro, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Terra Firma National, a group committed to providing immigrant children and families with access to healthcare and legal assistance, highlighted significant distress experienced by detained children during previous visits to family detention centers under the first Trump administration. He noted behavioral regressions, anger, and inclinations towards self-harm among detained children.
“We have heard of suicidal thoughts and attempts from the children detained, along with other serious mental health issues such as self-harm and eating disorders that were absent before their detention,” Dr. Shapiro revealed. Concerns persist about the impact of detention on the mental health and fundamental well-being of the children involved.
