Upon hearing the news that came to light earlier this week, it felt like we somehow took a step backwards in immigration reform and justice, something that once seemed very promising under the Biden administration. A reported decision by the Biden administration claims that there are talks of reopening the Homestead detention center for unaccompanied minors and it would now be called the “Biscayne Influx Care facility.”
The Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children was open during the Obama and Trump administrations in which it was notorious for its horror stories of unlivable conditions and mistreatment of the children detained there. The shelter was an unlicensed and for profit business that’s purpose was never to give the right care and housing to these children. The shelter was under fire for a plethora of reports regarding sexual abuse, neglect, and inadequate condtions for immigrant children. Back in 2019, Vice President Kamala Harris made a stop at the detention center and denounced it’s use and voiced her opposition agaisnt it and it was eventually shut down in October 2019. This is why the news of this detention being open again is coming as a shock to many after the Biden-Harris administrations made many promises in regards to immigration reform.
The reopening of this shelter will be inhumane and a disappointing step backwards for the Biden-Harris administration. Many reports during its active state and even after it was shut down shed light on so many violations including sexual assault. It was reported that the staff for the shelter was never vetted for child abuse, placing these children in the hands of sexual predators. This violation was sweeped under the rug due to the claim that the detention center is privately owned and they could not themselves run these background checks, even though this type of background check is required for anyone working with kids anywhere in the state of Florida.
Another concern and complaint is the fact that the detention center is located near several toxic U.S. Military superfund sites that have contaminated soil and water. During its opening, activists demanded to know if the facility had tested the soil and water before placing children on the site, and it was never shown that they did.
Biden has built an immigration platform on his promises of reuniting families and immigration reform. I don’t believe that opening a center with a dark history of abuse is the answer at all. Biden was vocal about stopping deportations for 100 days, yet there have been over 24,000 in the last month. Despite a Texas federal judge blocking his efforts to halt deportation, Biden still has the authority to slow these deportations and isn’t exercising it. Immigration reform isn’t going to happen in the same system or framework it’s been operating as for years. The issue is the government and policy makers failing to reimagine an immigration system outside of the current carceral framework. Children deserve livable conditions, and adding a “basketball court” and few other amenities does not change the fact that at the core of it, they’re still cages and no child deserves to live in a cage. There are many alternatives like pro-immigration organizations, charities, churches, resettlement programs, and even family members of the unaccompanied children that can house the children for a time during their process. I hope that Vice President Kama Harris stays true to her word from 2019, and fights alongside with us to keep centers like this one and many others closed.