U.S. Homeland Security defends conditions at migrant detention centres
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan on Sunday defended conditions at U.S. Border Patrol stations following reports of crowded and unsanitary conditions that have heightened debate about President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, a trademark issue for his re-election campaign.
The report echoed findings in May by the department’s inspector general about holding centers in El Paso, Texas: 900 people crammed into a cell with a maximum capacity of 125.
The Homeland Security Department’s internal watchdog provided new details Tuesday about severe overcrowding in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.
The report said children at three facilities had no access to showers and that some children under the age of 7 had been held in jammed centers for more than two weeks.