Immigration reform is one of the most controversial issues in the United States. The Republican and the Democratic parties stand on two different fields when it comes to the topic, and even though it is one of the biggest issues of the 21st century, most people do not know what is truly going on in immigration detention and deportation centers around the county.
This semester, I took a class at UIUC all about immigration reform and the racial issues still residing in America. I was shocked to learn about deportation centers and the web of lies that cover up a devastating situation, like how the U.S. government constantly uses the threat of deportation to force immigrants into submission. For example, in the Frontline episode on immigration, “Lost in Detention", the government threatens illegal immigrants with ICE night raids and detention centers.
Many Americans are unaware of detention centers, but this is because issues pertaining to detention centers are left out of the media. Immigrants are treated like criminals. If they misbehave or complain about the abuse in the detention prisons, the guards threaten them with deportation. The news media deems illegal immigrants as criminals who are not worthy of lawful rights or government protection, and this is the reason that many American citizens are unaware of the injustices happening to these people.
Before they are even proven guilty of being in the country illegally, undocumented immigrants are not treated with the respect they deserve as human beings. Threats of deportation keep illegal immigrants on their toes at all times, even if they have not committed any major crimes. In the documentary, a woman is pulled over for having a taillight out on her car. This is a minor offense, but the officer sees that she is not only Latina, but she was driving without a license and instantly takes her into custody. Without any warning to her family, she is whisked off to a detention center to await her deportation fate. Her husband and children are left to wonder where their mother went and if she will ever return home.
Not only does immigration deportation tear families apart, but also the treatment and conditions inside detention/deportation facilities is horrendous. Detention centers have always been a hidden issue in the United States, where the conditions are usually unsanitary and the people detained feel unsafe. There have been many complaints about officers sexually assaulting and even sometimes raping detainees. In the LA Times, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Cindy Carcamo reported on the conditions of detention centers. “Immigrant advocates say the latest images of overcrowded cells and dirty floors reinforce their concerns that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is ill-prepared for the influx, and is not properly safeguarding immigrants rounded up along the border."
With the increasing border control over President Obama's terms, there are too many people awaiting their deportation fate in over-crowded “prison" cells. Some undocumented immigrants spend weeks stuck in detention centers before they can be deported. Both undocumented and documented immigrants fear detention centers partly because of what they hear about them, and how detainees are treated inside.
Hennessy-Fiske and Carcamo state that when they visited the Nogales Immigration Detention Center, “children clung to the towering chain-link fences around their cells, staring at visitors. Some appeared to have been crying, with swollen and red eyes. Others simply stared." In detention centers, immigrants are treated like prisoners. They are not allowed the basic rights of prisoners, and are treated with disrespect and are dehumanized in the process. Immigrants are fearful of detention centers because they are transferred all around the country to different centers, and they do not know when they will be deported. Detainees are also not allowed to have a lawyer. Instead, they are forced to learn English and represent themselves from behind bars.
In the documentary, “No Sanctuary: Big Business and Family Detention" produced by Grassroots Leadership, Nayely, a 7-year-old detainee, had brain cancer and was not receiving medical treatment inside the Karnes County family detention center located in Karnes City, Texas. This is a violation of basic human rights. Many Americans and government officials forget that these are people too, and just because they are undocumented in our country, does not mean they should be forced to live in fear and endure horrible conditions.
The government treats U.S. prisoners better than they treat undocumented immigrants. Immigrant detention policies and laws along with budget cuts have left the U.S. government unwilling to make the investments in more staff, and resources necessary to ensure the safety and sanitary conditions for immigrant detainees (LA Times). They are refused their basic human rights for liberty and security.
The Huffington Post released an article that claimed that immigration advocate organizations received many complaints and testimonies that female detainees had been raped and abused while in Karnes Detention Facility. Elise Foley reported that, “Some women were removed from their cells "for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts," according to the complaint. Employees promised women help and money in exchange for "sexual favors," the complaint says, and groped them in front of others" (Foley). This is an oppression like none other; an oppression that is hidden from the public. It is shocking that this is not a primary issue in the U.S., and something needs to be done, and fast.
Many people have varying views about immigration; however, everyone can agree people deserve basic human rights. Our government needs to step up and reduce rape and sexual assault in detention centers. No matter what legal crime undocumented immigrants commit, they do not deserve mistreatment. Even if they are here in this country illegally, undocumented immigrants should be granted minimal rights for their safety. Children are at risk in detention facilities and families are torn apart unnecessarily. If you would like to learn more about this issue, and learn how you can help go to: http://grassrootsleadership.org/ to find out more information about immigration detention centers, and how organizations like Grassroots Leadership are trying to reform the treatment and conditions of detention centers, especially in the heart of Texas.
