ACLU sues over detained immigrant kids

[leobold1]

ACLU sues over detained immigrant kids - Yahoo! News

By ANABELLE GARAY, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 21 minutes ago

DALLAS - Civil liberties and immigration advocates sued federal officials Tuesday on behalf of children confined to a former Texas prison-turned-center for immigrant families awaiting possible deportation.

The federal lawsuits, announced by the American Civil Liberties Union in Austin, focus on children held at the T. Don Hutto facility, a former prison in Taylor.

Critics say the center inhumanely houses adults and young children in jail-like conditions. Families held at the center have complained of weight loss, subpar schooling, long waits for medical care and threats of separating children from parents. The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services have demanded its immediate closure.

"There is simply no justification for imprisoning innocent children who pose no threat to anyone," said Vanita Gupta, an attorney with the ACLU's Racial Justice Program.

About half of the approximately 400 people held at Hutto are children, officials said. None of the children or adults there have criminal records. Many were sent there after seeking asylum in the United States and will face waits of more than 200 days.

A spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined to comment on the lawsuit but in a statement described the facility as a way "to humanely accommodate" the families.

Officials are working with the women's commission and the Lutheran group, among others, to "identify family-specific detention standards," the statement said.

In court documents, Bahja Ibrahim, a 9-year-old Somali girl, in the facility since November described the conditions as difficult. She said, "It is hard to be in here because no toys no good food no clean clothes. Everything is bad here."

The 512-bed former state prison is operated by Corrections Corporation of America under a contract with Williamson County.

Immigration officials have described Hutto as a residential, nonsecure environment that keeps families together while they seek asylum, await deportation or seek other outcomes to their immigration cases.

Officials say the facility is meant to end the "catch and release" practice that in the past permitted families in the U.S. illegally to remain free while awaiting a court hearing. Many never showed up in court; some borrowed other people's children and posed as families to avoid detention, ICE officials say.

Critics want immigration authorities to house minors in open settings such as shelters, foster homes or with relatives, and not in detention facilities.

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No where in this article will you see "illegal immigrant", but you will see "immigrant" in it.

Can you say "media bias" children? That's right, I knew that you could.

[Woodmonkey]

Media bias is right. When people commit crimes, their families suffer. That is on them, not the authorities having to deal with them.

[Scrappy]

Critics say the center inhumanely houses adults and young children in jail-like conditions. Families held at the center have complained of weight loss, subpar schooling, long waits for medical care and threats of separating children from parents. The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services have demanded its immediate closure.

Really the only thing I can say is they have bad parents. What's new about kids suffering their parent's mistakes?

[Chrisj]

There is always a tendency by civil liberties groups to draw children into the arguement and whilst they should not be punished for their parents behaviour neither should they be rewarded for it. I find it hard to believe that refugees fleeing from the horrific conditions they claim forced them out of their own country are actually worried about not having toys and complaining about the food and clothing for the period they are detained while their claims for asylum are processed. They at least have a roof over their heads and will not be taken out and shot by some local warlords militia.

There is also the problem of identifing minors, most refugees arrive with either fake I.D or no I.D so they cannot be automatically sent back to their country of origin. This means that single young men into their early twenties are claiming to the under 18 so they qualify as a minor and get automatic asylum . The authorities are reluctant to do any medical test which may establish their age because it would infringer their human rights. So we have the situation where men are being put into a system designed to look after children with all the dangers this poses to the children already in the system and their carers. Another danger of unrestricted immigration and their subsequent release into the general population is the massive explosion in AIDS and TB. TB had practically been illiminated until mass migration re-introduced it, London now has higher levels of TB than many developing countries.

[Snowden]

It sounds like Britain should have a form of "Ellis Island" in order to at least ween out the sick immigrants for immediate treatment. This is just another illustration of where the political correctness nonsense has done considerable damage.

The authorities are reluctant to do any medical test which may establish their age because it would infringer their human rights.

Isn't the best available health care a human right?

[Chrisj]

Originally Posted by Snowden

It sounds like Britain should have a form of "Ellis Island" in order to at least ween out the sick immigrants for immediate treatment. This is just another illustration of where the political correctness nonsense has done considerable damage.

There seems to be a reluctance to carry out thorough medical examinations of immigrants and considering the worries over SARS and Avian Flu this borders on negligence by the authorities. TB has been reintroduced to the UK by immigration from Africa and the Asian sub continent but it appears discussion of the topic by anyone in the public eye attracts the usual claims of racism. London as far as public health is concerned is in danger of becoming a third world city if something isn't done about it.

[Snowden]

Originally Posted by Chrisj

There seems to be a reluctance to carry out thorough medical examinations of immigrants and considering the worries over SARS and Avian Flu this borders on negligence by the authorities. TB has been reintroduced to the UK by immigration from Africa and the Asian sub continent but it appears discussion of the topic by anyone in the public eye attracts the usual claims of racism. London as far as public health is concerned is in danger of becoming a third world city if something isn't done about it.

This talk of multi-culturism is to blame, I suppose - political correctness. I truly believe it is destroying the world. It has certainly changed the face of civilization in our countries.