9 Problems With Detaining Refugee Mothers And Children

In the past nine months, more than 66,000 mothers and children fled violence in Central America and came to the United States seeking safety. In a hasty response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opened or expanded three detention centers with plans to open a fourth, including facilities run by GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA)—for-profit, private prison corporations with troubling human rights records. Detaining mothers and children is costly for taxpayers and threatens American values of due process and family welfare. Incarcerating mothers and children who have escaped violence is a shameful response to a humanitarian crisis.

1. The U.S. detains traumatized mothers and children.

Killer's Paradise film still / Via icarusfilms.com

The majority of mothers and children in family detention fled violence in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Central America is one of the most violent regions in the world, where women and girls are increasingly targeted. In 2011, El Salvador had the highest rate of gender-motivated killing of women in the world, closely followed by Guatemala (third highest) and Honduras (sixth highest).

2. Today, the U.S. jails 16 times as many mothers and children as it did three months ago.

National Immigrant Justice Center / Via immigrantjustice.org

In August, DHS detained 1,281 mothers and children in its family detention system; three months earlier, that number was around 80. Apparently this is still not enough—DHS plans to open a new family detention center in Dilley, Texas where it can incarcerate an additional 2,400 women and children. With such a drastic increase in such a short time, DHS is staffing these facilities with people who do not have experience working with vulnerable survivors of violence or children, making it extremely challenging to ensure that the facilities are compliant with detention standards.

3. Detaining children further robs young refugees of their childhood.

Drawing from UIC Latino Cultural Center to children detained at the family detention facility in Karnes, Texas.

Children do not belong in detention centers. The median age of detainees at the Artesia Family Detention Center is six years old. Most of these children have already experienced trauma and abuse in their home countries and on their journeys to the United States. According to attorneys who visited Artesia, DHS officers confiscated crayons from a child detained there, saying the crayons were “contraband.”

4. Kids are losing weight, and they and their mothers aren’t getting the mental health care they need.

Screenshot from an ACLU video about Hutto, a family detention center that DHS closed following public pressure after reports of inhumane conditions. / Via youtu.be

Children detained at the Artesia Family Detention Center and Karnes County Residential Center experience weight loss, gastro-intestinal issues, and suicidal thoughts. Even though many of the mothers and children have experienced severe trauma, at Artesia DHS only provides mental health services by video teleconference from a remote location. Karnes employs only three on-site mental health professionals, only one of whom is a woman, for more than 500 women and children.

5. It’s nearly impossible for detained mothers and children to find lawyers, and the government does not provide them appointed counsel.

National Immigrant Justice Center / Via immigrantjustice.org

Detained in remote locations, many miles from any urban center, it is extremely difficult for detained mothers and children to find attorneys to help them apply for legal protections. Phone access is extremely limited for detainees, and attorneys must travel hundreds of miles to meet with clients in person. For example, there is only one pro bono attorney for every 120 people at the Artesia Family Detention Center.

6. Women and children face barriers to pursue asylum in detention.

Democracy Now! / Via youtu.be

Asylum officers frequently rush women’s credible fear interviews, which determine whether they have sufficient fear and are eligible for asylum. Asylum officers often prevent women from providing the full details of past abuse and expect women to understand and use legal terminology. Moreover, DHS officers often require mothers to keep their children with them during interviews, deterring women from sharing painful details of their experiences with physical abuse and sexual assault.

7. At least five children have been murdered after being deported to Honduras.

Screenshot of video from The Big Picture segment about the murder of children deported to Honduras on RT America. / Via youtu.be

According to the director of the San Pedro Sula morgue in Honduras, at least five children who were recently deported from the United States and Mexico have been murdered. San Pedro Sula has the highest per capita murder rate in the world. If the U.S. does not provide robust due process to ensure that Central American mothers and children have adequate opportunity to pursue asylum, it risks deporting families back to possible death.

8. Detaining refugee families is a colossal waste of money.

Steve Goodyear via Flickr/Creative Commons / Via Flickr: stevegoodyear

It costs $266 per day to detain one person in family detention, whereas alternatives to detention (ATDs), such as release on supervision or ankle bracelets, cost as little as 70 cents to $17 per day. The Obama administration has sought about $879 million, most of which would go toward increasing family detention capacity by 6,000 people and prosecuting families. Moreover, private prison companies are making massive profits from incarcerating families—GEO Group anticipates annual revenue of $26 million from the Karnes County Residential Center.

9. The U.S. has a terrible track record when it comes to detaining families.

Drawing from child detained at Hutto Detention Center via ACLU. / Via aclu.org

The U.S. government used to detain families at the CCA-run Don T. Hutto facility in Texas. It was forced to shut down the facility due to a 2009 lawsuit alleging overly punitive conditions for families, especially children. Children were forced to wear prison garb and only had one hour of recreation every day.

Here is the impassioned plea of one child who was held at Hutto, in case the Obama administration needs a reminder.