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Rep. Jayapal calls on DHS to discontinue private detention centers
Jayapal and Smith also spearhead the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act.
Indian American Representative Pramila Jayapal, alongside Rep. Adam Smith, is calling on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to eliminate private, for-profit detention centers for immigrants in U.S. custody and promote alternatives to the expansion of the immigration detention system.
“The problems with immigration detention facilities, ranging from unsafe and inhumane conditions to the overuse of solitary confinement and unwarranted medical procedures, are well-documented by DHS’s Office of Inspector General, media reports, and non-profit organizations,” wrote the Members.
“Private prison companies prioritize profits over people and care. We should not […be] increasing harmful immigration detention when more humane and cost-effective alternatives exist,” their letter read.
This appeal follows the DHS's announcement of the closure of the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, alongside plans to expand overall immigration detention.
According to Jayapal, for-profit detention centers, like the one being closed, often prioritize profits over humane care and are frequently plagued with issues such as unnecessary medical interventions, forced labor, solitary confinement abuse, and intimidation.
A recent report highlighted that 95 percent of in-custody deaths reported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between 2017 and 2021 were preventable.
“While President Biden ordered that the federal prison system phase out contracts with the private prison industry when he began his term in January 2021, no such directive was issued for the immigration system. In fact, the use of private prisons in the immigration system has grown: as of July 2023, 90.8 percent of individuals in immigration detention were held in detention facilities owned or operated by private prison companies, up from 81 percent in 2020,” they said in the letter.
They also noted that for-profit, privately-owned prisons are driven to maximize profits, often at the expense of the care and protection of those in their custody. These facilities suffer from inadequate oversight and are unsafe, resulting in insufficient healthcare and resources for detained individuals, they said.
Jayapal and Smith also spearheaded the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, aimed at ending the use of for-profit, private detention facilities and safeguarding the civil and human rights of immigrants.
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