Kevin is 9 years old and a citizen of Canada. Traveling back from Iran (where is father was tortured – they are seeking asylum in Canada) with his parents, a passenger on the plane had a heart attack and the plane made an unexpected landing in Puerto Rico his family was taken off the plane for not having clearance through a US territory (which they weren’t supposed to pass through anyway). Kevin and his family are ‘detained’ in a private run facility maintained by the Corrections Corporation of America that maintains a former prison as a immigration camp. Kevin sleeps next to an open toilet in a cell every night
No. I’m sleeping beside the washroom, and I can’t — and I’m upstairs. I can’t go to the washroom all the time. And there’s a lot of smell coming out from the washroom. And the food is garbage. And the school is very bad. I can’t learn anything good. And I have asthma, and I got sick in here. I can’t stay here anymore.
Illegal immigrants imprisoned in private-run outsourced camp:
The Department of Homeland Security used to separate families, and before, INS. … When Congress heard about this, they expressed concern about separating families and instructed ICE to stop separating families. And, actually, what they recommended was that ICE use alternatives, such as a program that currently exists that is run by ICE called the Intensive [Supervision] Appearance Program. And what they recommended also was that if these programs couldn’t be used and detention was necessary, that home-like non-penal environments be used.
A legal rep for the family:
In order to sentence somebody in the United States to two weeks in jail, you would need to have guilt proved beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of your peers. In order for the Majit family to spend an additional two weeks in jail, it simply could take an administrative delay. This is one of the problems.
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