Feinstein decries CBP facility’s conditions
EL CENTRO — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D.-Calif., on Tuesday requested the U.S. Department of Homeland Security take immediate action to improve “sub-standard conditions” at the immigrant processing center operated locally by the Border Patrol.
During a scheduled tour last week of the sector’s station in Imperial, Feinstein’s staff had allegedly observed immigrants housed in conditions that are in possible violation of federal law and Customs and Border Protection policy.
Among its findings, Feinstein’s staff reported seeing unaccompanied minors who had been detained in a room for up to five days, in possible violation of the Trafficking Victims and Protection Reauthorization Act.
Friday’s tour also allegedly revealed single adults, including asylum seekers, had been held for up to 10 days at the facility, despite CBP policy that states immigrants should not be kept in holding facilities for longer than 72 hours.
“It appears that El Centro is not equipped to handle the number of detainees currently there, and I am concerned that similar conditions may exist at other CBP temporary detention facilities,” Feinstein stated in a letter addressed Tuesday to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
The letter also claims that family units with children as young as 3 were observed sleeping on the concrete floor without any padding and that a room for adult men was reportedly filled beyond maximum capacity, preventing detainees from being able to spread out on the floor.
Lastly, detainees, including juveniles, did not reportedly have adequate access to drinking water and lacked basic hygiene products, Feinstein’s letter stated.
When reached for comment, local Assistant Chief Patrol Agent David Kim stated in an email that El Centro Sector command staff was in the process of reviewing the letter’s contents.
As ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Feinstein’s letter also requests that Nielsen allow the senator’s staff access to additional CBP facilities as soon as possible to ensure compliance with immigration law.
Feinstein also asked to be provided a summary of the total number of immigrant detainees in DHS custody, broken down to reflect the numbers at each statewide facility, whether operated by DHS or under DHS contract.
Data is also sought highlighting the most recent average length of detention for individuals housed throughout the DHS system, including average detention spans for unaccompanied children and family units.
“I appreciate your immediate attention to the claims of mistreatment of migrants in DHS facilities, which have now unfortunately been corroborated by members of my staff,” Feinstein stated.
“I hope that we will be able to work together to put in place a statutory framework that prohibits the separation of children from their parents and ensures that DHS has the resources needed to implement a humane, effective immigration system.”
On July 18, Feinstein had announced that she was sending staff to visit immigration detention facilities here in the Valley.
Although two members of Feinstein’s staff, along with a representative of Congressman Juan Vargas’ office, had also visited the Imperial Regional Detention Facility on July 18, it did not draw any criticism. No minor children are detained there, an IRDF spokesperson stated.
Feinstein’s announcement last week was prompted by a July 16 filing in a federal court case that alleged immigrant children in detention facilities throughout the country were being housed in sub-standard conditions.
The court filing was submitted by attorneys for a non-profit immigrant rights organization tasked with monitoring detainee conditions as part of the so-called Flores agreement, which prohibits migrant children from being detained more than 20 days.
The original Flores lawsuit was filed on behalf of a juvenile immigrant in 1985, and was ultimately settled in 1997. The settlement allows attorneys to periodically inspect the conditions that migrant children are housed in.
The recent court filing contained more than 1,000 pages of declarations and first-hand testimony from child migrants.
Among its testimonials was that of a 13-year-old girl held at the local Border Patrol’s processing center who claimed 18 people housed in a room had just three mattresses to share.
In June, a court filing by a CBP official who visited 38 nationwide sites unannounced to monitor the housing conditions of migrant children stated CBP was complying with the provision of the Flores agreement.
“What I learned during the unannounced visits confirmed that agents and officers in the field execute their responsibilities professionally and in a manner consistent with the agreement,” the CBP official stated.