Florida prison camp for migrant kids may soon be bigger than nearby high school

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/4/1847758/-Prison-camp-for-migrant-kids-in-Florida-could-soon-grow-larger-than-nearby-high-school

The unlicensed prison camp for migrant kids in Homestead, Florida, could soon grow larger in size than the nearby high school. The Trump administration has announced that the facility will be expanded to 3,200 beds by the end of April. This is the second major expansion for Homestead since the start of the year. The prison camp jailed about 1,600 migrant kids in mid-February, as officials announced it would be ramping up for a capacity of 2,350 children. On April 1, officials said it would be increasing to 3,200 kids, “creating a compound able to accommodate 300 more teenagers than Homestead Senior High,” Miami Herald reports.

Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz condemned the expansion. “Exploding the child detention population at a facility that is already inadequately staffed and regulated is cruel, irresponsible and invites neglect,” she said in a statement. House Democrats who visited the facility in February described meeting kids who have been jailed there for as long as nine months. “As a mother it was very difficult to watch,” said Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL) said. “It has a prison-like feel.”

Officials have said that Homestead jails unaccompanied minors, or kids who came to the U.S. by themselves, but visiting legislators said they met kids who came with their families but were then separated. “If they came with an uncle, an aunt, an older brother or sister, they’re not considered separated,” said Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia. “We spoke with a number of kids and they all said they said they came with someone. But they were separated, so it’s still happening.” Family separation remains a crisis.

Kids do not belong in detention, period, and many have relatives and homes they could be released to, but the administration has consistently blockaded their release and even arrested a large number of potential sponsors who have stepped forward. “Instead of expanding Homestead,” Wasserman Schultz continued, “we need to swiftly adopt policies that speed up release and reunifications, promote sponsors to come forward without fear of legal repercussions, and ensure adequate staffing and resources for young people. The longer solution is passing sensible immigration reform.”

SNIP