Chyna Vazquez

October 6, 2020

ENG1121

Word Count: 510

  • The living conditions in detention centers is my topic for the Annotated Bibliography.
  • According to Time, adults and children have been held for days, weeks, or even months in cramped cells. At times they don’t have access to soap, toothpaste, or places to wash their hands or shower. Children are sleeping on concrete floors and adults have to stand for days due to lack of space. A May report from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general found 900 people crammed into a space designed to accommodate 125 at most. In addition, babies have to drink from unwashed bottles and there are not enough diapers. There have been outbreaks of flu, lice, chicken pox and scabies due to over crowded centers. Yazmin Juárez, an asylum seeker from Guatemala, daughter Mariee died after being held in an ICE detention center. https://time.com/5623148/migrant-detention-centers-conditions
  • According to the New York Times, children are given the same meals every day. They are given instant oats for breakfast, instant noodles for lunch, a frozen burrito for dinner, along with a few cookies and juice packets. Also, many children get the flu and they’re not being properly treated. Overcrowded detention centers cause people to spread diseases faster. “The children are locked in their cells and cages nearly all day long,” Ms. Mukherjee said. “A few of the kids said they had some opportunities to go outside and play, but they said they can’t bring themselves to play because they are trying to stay alive in there.” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/us/migrant-children-border-soap.html
  • According to NBC news, detainees lacked mats or pillows to lay on. There was a strong odor in the air. Some men shouted to reporters that they had been held in the facility for 40 days or more and that they were hungry and wanted to brush their teeth. The men had to ask permission from Customs and Border Protection agents to drink water.“The first thing that hit me when we walked in the door was the smell. It was the smell of sweat, urine and feces. No amount of time spent in these facilities is safe for children.”- Dr. Sara Goza, who toured two CBP facilities in June 2019, told CNN. “We observed that two facilities had not provided children access to hot meals … until the week we arrived.”- Office of Inspector General report on Rio Grande Valley https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-claims-tour-immigrant-detention-centers-showed-they-are-well-n1029701
  • Most if not all of the detainees have limited access to medical care. The cells that detainees are kept in are overcrowded and unsanitary. Migrants aren’t given water and all the basic necessities such as a food, blanket, bed, toothbrush, etc. Young children have to take care of other young infants they don’t even know. Detention centers harm human rights and it is inhumane to see immigrants living in these conditions.
  1. How can we close detention centers?
  2. How expensive is it to detain thousands of people?
  3. How do detention centers affect the health of immigrant children?
  4. In what ways does detention centers cause long-term trauma in children?