Inhumane treatment of immigrant women and children is America’s shame

Latest

Children like this young girl end up in crowded unsanitary immigrant detention centers where many grow sick with fevers.
PHOTO/JERRY LARA, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

 
Journalist Sharon Lerner recently reported for The Intercept on letters she got from immigrant women describing the cruel and degrading treatment they and their children received upon entering the US and being detained, either by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Lerner writes that “Obama’s family detention camps were strongly condemned for their inhumane conditions,” and that things have gotten worse under Trump.
ICE’s South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas is one of three ICE facilities that house women and children in the U.S. The government pays CoreCivic, a private company, $12.6 million per month to run the center. Women held at Dilley reported that the water smells and tastes bad, and sometimes makes them ill. Lights may be left on at night, making it hard to sleep. The restrooms lack privacy. Medical care is inadequate. Kids come out of Dilley sick with stomach and upper respiratory illnesses.
The women also wrote of their experience in the “hieleras” (“iceboxes”) where they were detained by CBP right after crossing the border. There they were kept in frigid temperatures. “My daughter was purple from how cold she felt. They wouldn’t give us any blankets. Her lips and her hands and feet were all purple,” one mother wrote. Women were separated from their children and not allowed to see them. Guards told one woman they would put her children up for adoption.
Women said that they and their children often did not receive enough to eat or drink at the hieleras. The bathrooms were filthy and smelled. Many said they were denied access to the bathroom, and soiled themselves as a result. “This is your punishment for coming here,” a guard told one woman.
A woman wrote that entering the US had always been her dream, but the day she entered “was the saddest and ugliest day I could have imagined.”
Is this the America we want? Surely this torture of human beings does not reflect the true morals of the American people. And the assault on the human rights of our immigrant brothers and sisters is an attack on all of us. If we allow a section of people to lose their rights, then everyone’s rights are in danger. Our only hope as a people today lies in unity with our fellow workers. We must not allow ourselves to be divided by the rich and the powerful.

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

No, Immigration Is Not Making Housing Less Affordable

Despite politicians' claims to the contrary, immigration is not making housing unaffordable. In fact, immigration can be part of the solution.

Make Your Vote Count 

This 2024 election is gaining on us and the pressure to get to the ballot box is intense and...

Michigan’s Prescient Lesson: Vote While You Still Can!!! 

Michigan's non-elected Emergency Manager dictatorship made Flint's water crisis possible. Pay attention to the danger of losing our Democratic rights as we’ve known them in this election. Vote while you still can!

US Doctors Tell Biden, Harris They ‘Witnessed Crimes Beyond Comprehension’ in Gaza

US doctors who visited Gaza tell Biden, Harris they've never seen such horrific injuries, on such a massive scale, with so few resources, that our bombs are cutting down women and children, and that a ceasefire must be imposed.

Abortion Tragedies and a Georgia Victory

Grassroots organizations filed a lawsuit against Georgia's cruel abortion laws, and the county judge took a firm stand on the side of justice, writing in his ruling that “liberty in Georgia" includes "the power of a woman to control her own body . . . and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices.”

More from the People's Tribune