The prison camp for migrant children in Homestead, Florida, was cleared out just two weeks ago, but it appears that vacancy could be short-lived. The Trump administration expects it could resume jailing children at the unlicensed, “temporary” prison camp “as early as October or November, federal government sources” told The Miami Herald.
“’Homestead is not closed. There will be kids back at the center, it’s just a matter of when,’ one federal official who oversees the operation said, noting that administrators are contemplating whether it will ultimately wait until after hurricane season ends in late November if the expected migration influx happens.”
At its grotesque peak, Homestead—privately-operated by Caliburn, which touts former Trump chief of staff and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as a board member—jailed thousands of kids, but that number was drastically reduced going into August in part due to hurricane season. Members of Congress expressed concern over where those kids could be placed in such a rapid manner, considering some kids languished there for weeks and months even though they had sponsors waiting for them.
“From reducing the number of children held at Homestead to forcing the administration to produce a hurricane plan, I’m glad that our community’s persistent advocacy brought about real results,” said Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. “However, I still have many questions about where these children are being sent to and the conditions they’ll be kept in. They shouldn’t be sent to another detention facility—they must be reunited with family or placed with a sponsor.”
Children do not belong in detention, period, and if officials are expecting more child refugees to come to our border in several months, you’d think the priority would be to instead have a more efficient process in place to make sure these kids can be reunited with relatives already here, or other sponsors. This would ensure they’re instead in a safe and loving home, and not a camp where they’re threatened with prolonged imprisonment should they break some barbaric rule, like no hugging other kids, even their own siblings.
Today, “thousands of employees are still reporting to work” at Homestead, “even though there are no kids at the shelter. Youth care workers and staff say they are playing board games, sports and exercising to kill time. Caliburn would not say why employees are still arriving to work and what their daily duties are.” Here’s what their duties shouldn’t be: jailing kids for profit. Shut this shithole down—forever.