LatinaLista — In April, 200 detainees at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas started a hunger strike to draw attention to their complaints of physical and verbal abuse, improper medical attention and the fact that the detainees have been held at the facility — some for months and years without receiving due process of law.
Port Isabel Detention Center
Representatives from Amnesty International USA will be visiting the facility this week and report on Thursday what they discover.
One of the more disturbing stories to come out of the facility is that some of the detainees claim to be U.S. citizens. If that is the case, then the Department of Homeland Security definitely has some questions to answer.
In the meantime, the hunger strike continues with little information about the condition of the detainees or the status of their complaints being released.
We have to wonder why in an administration that strives for such transparency, does the Department of Homeland Security still operate with such secretive and uncooperative policies?
Suppressed news of hunger strike at immigrant detention facility flies in the face of Obama administration’s goal for transparency
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Jun 2, 2009, 5:50 PM
inGeneral, Government, Human Rights, Immigration, Media, Palabra Final
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Comment(3)
Traci
I don’t feel sorry for them. All of them have had and still do have an opportunity to return to their homelands. All could obtain release immediately, but they choose otherwise. These people are taking the chance that when their case finally comes to the courts that they will be granted residency, in spite of most of their arguments lacking foundation. Most will wind up being deported anyhow.
Their specious claims and the need to provide a venue before a judge, not to mention the cost of lodging and feeding them, are costing me and millions of other taxpayers billions by their obstinacy. These people get just what they deserve as far a I’m concerned.
MaryElizabeth
Traci, Your statement is untrue. Many of the people detained there were initially given a release form but did not understand that if they signed that they could go home. For whatever reasons they thought not to sign the document and were not given the opportunity to sign another document after the fact. Many of these people would sign a document to go home if they could. This is a fact. Also, to not have compassion for US citizens that have been detained for years is cruel.
miranda
I don’t believe that if those people could go home that they would refuse to sign. I believe that this is a problem that we see more and more of. I hope the Obama administration will look into this problem. It’s not just happening in Texas, but all over the United States.
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