Florida, United States.
With signs of frustration and disgust, groups of activists asked the government for it Joe Biden that it does not follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, Donald Trump, and reject the idea of it reopening of the detention center in front of undocumented minors from Homestead, in the southeast of Florida.
For the headquarters of the municipality of this city, the activists they recognized them disbelief to repeat an order from two years ago, when the Centre with capacity for 1,200 minors became one symbol” of the strict migration policy during the Republican mandate.
“It’s not the right way to deal with this situation”said at a press conference Thomas Kennedy, of United We Dream, the network ofe young immigrants largest in the US and those against the reunification de go minors with family members in the country or shipping to host families instead of taking them to a center that “looks like a military base
In addition to leaked information by the press about the possible reopening the controversial Centre, is located about 40 kilometers south of Miami and one of the largest in the country, activists pointed out that local groups have learned of the efforts made for the recruitment.
The U.S. Department of Health (HHS) has not yet made an official statement on the site’s reactivation, which it has been closed in August 2019 following a national campaign involving candidates for the party’s presidential nomination Democrat, including the current vice president Kamala Harris.
Kennedy recalled that the Senator for California came to refer to the center as “one rapeon the human rights committed by the United States government ‘and that is why the same opposition has now asked him from the’ prominence ‘he has on the Democrat administration Biden.
COMPLAINTS OF NEGLIGENCE AND ABUSE
The activists alluded to the complaints filed before the closure of this center, which even provided shelter 2,700 undocumented minors, about cases of negligence, misconduct and sexual abuses committed against boys and girls were held there.
Guadalupe de la Cruz, of the American Friends Service Committee group Florida, recalled a report from that organization that also included the exhibition to toxic substances when they are at least discovered 16 sources of pollution less than a mile from the city center.
He also referred to “levels of unacceptable noises “because of aircraft take off and land nearby Base from Homestead Air Reserve.
The activist regretted that none of the suggestions had been madeor heard and was reaffirmed in the request earlier reopen the site a full soil, groundwater and air analysis is performed at the facility, including the bedrooms, outdoor playground and tents.
In statements to Efe, De la Cruz said that for each child there was “a profit of more than $ 700” that went to the Caliburn International company, which took over management of the center when Trump reopened it in 2018 andn answer to the severe repression against migrantss of his mandate, and that included the forced separation of thousands of children from their parents.
Kennedy emphasized that the private company received some between 2018 and 2019 $ 350 million of taxpayers.
Mariana Martínez, also of the Florida American Friends Service Committee, stressed that “there is no need reopen this center “, in which even, as they were informed, some minors “got lost”, and also asked “transparency” in the process.
Melissa Taveras for her part, from the Coalition of Immigrants or Florida, wondered whether it is time in the midst of a pandemic to consider opening a center that received complaints about overpopulation.
IMMIGRATION REFORM OR PRISON
The activists summoned the party Florida Democrat opposed en bloc to the plan to reopen the center, and welcomed the fact that some elected officials have spoken out against the idea, including the mayor of the Miami-Dade County, Daniella Levine Cava, who asked the president Biden explore other options.
“It’s important for our community to hear directly from the administration Joe Biden in the next days about plans around this facility as they work to reunite families, ”he said in a statement Wednesday.
Nikki Fried, Florida Agriculture Commissioner, the only one democrat In Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration on Thursday, he pointed out in a virtual forum that they didn’t need detention centers like the one in Homestead, but rather immigration reforms.
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For its part, the federal congressman for New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, after hearing of the opening this week from a center for that undocumented minors in Carrizo Springs, in Texas, the first of its kind during the current administration, lamented that the immigration system in the United States is “ based on a prison setting “.
In the case of Homestead, From the cross stressed the lack of a hurricane safety and evacuation plan.
“It’s an old infrastructure and represents one threat to children’s safety “, who deserve “dignified and quality care”, he stressed. EFE