Austin democratic representative Eddie Rodriguez brought attention to what he considers an ugly side of the Department of Homeland Security's immigration policy: putting children in former prison cells.
Rodriguez filed House Committee Resolution 64 and held a press conference Wednesday to ask fellow Texas lawmakers to pressure the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to consider alternatives to housing non-criminal families in prison-like conditions.
"There are more appropriate and cost-effective alternatives than imprisoning families with young children, such as supervised release programs, that save taxpayers money and are effective in ensuring people appear for their immigration hearings," Rodriguez said in a press release.
The T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas, is a 512-bed facility that houses women and children awaiting immigration or asylum hearings. The facility opened as a medium-security prison in 1997 under the name T. Don Hutto Correctional Center.
The most recent, high-profile case of a family being detained at Hutto was the Feb. 3 release of a pregnant Palestinian woman and her children.
UT law professor Barabara Hines, who spoke at the press conference, called the Hutto detention center a "retro-fitted prison" and said the only difference was that the cells didn't lock. Hines directs the immigration law clinic at the UT Law School.
Some of the detainees from Latin America and the Middle East fled domestic violence or political persecution. The men are housed at other facilities. Since Mexican immigrants have a different immigration process, there are none detained in Hutto.
Hines cited inmates that claimed they only recently had their allocated feeding time increased to 20 minutes, making it hard for mothers to feed themselves and their children. Food and drinks are not allowed in the cells, she said.
Hines described the conditions faced by children living in the Hutto center. Children spend around 20 hours each day in windowless cells with their parents, who are unable to give them toys, crayons or pencils for their entertainment. Others have alleged that parents and children have been separated as punishment for disciplinary violations, Hines said.
A specific case Hines cited was of a mother of two due to deliver her third child inside Hutto in March. Hines said that despite doctors' warnings that her unborn baby had not gained weight, the only supplemental nutrition given to the mother was a multivitamin.
Nina Pruneda, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said that the Department of Homeland Security contracts with Williamson County, who in turn has a contract with Corrections Corporation of America to run the Hutto facility.
Several representatives for the Department of Homeland Security would not comment on the details of the Hutto detention center or the detainees when contacted Wednesday, citing security concerns.
The Williamson County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to renew the contract with Corrections Corporation of America in January amidst public protest, but added a provision requiring the center to provide more educational time for the children. Another provision added allows the county to terminate the contract with 120 days notice.
Under the current contract Williamson County receives $1 per day for each detainee from CCA which receives $95 per day for each detainee from the Department of Homeland Security. Based on Rodriguez's estimate of 400 detainees, CCA receives $13.8 million each year. According to an expired contract, CCA paid the county a base annual rent of $2.5 million.
The Florida Sun-Sentinel reported on Feb. 2 that Florida Gov. Charlie Crist ordered an investigation of CCA and another private corrections firm, after state audits determined the state squandered $4.5 million in alleged overpayments for unfilled jobs and other expenses.
Rodriguez said he hoped to get bipartisan support for the resolution and those detained in Hutto.
"It's important for them to know that Texans feel this way," Rodriguez said.
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