Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava is expressing concerns about reports of overcrowded conditions at Krome Detention Center in Miramar.
She is asking the Department of Homeland Security to come take a tour.
This request comes after reports from USA Today and the Miami Herald about the increase in the number of detainees being sent to Krrome. The reports found overcrowding has created an inhumane environment for those detained at the processing center.
There are allegations of inadequate access to water and food, unsanitary confinement, medical neglect and prolonged shackling.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) say they take allegations of misconduct seriously.
Following the USA Today report, revealing allegations of mistreatment of female detainees at the facility, protesters lined up outside of the Krome Detention Center in western Miami-Dade County.
Protest organizer Bryson Holtzer told CBS News Miami she was disturbed by what she read.
“Regardless of somebody’s citizenship status, a human deserves to be treated as a human,” Holtzer said.
Reporter’s interview
USA Today reporter Lauren Villagran detailed the allegations in the story she published earlier this week.
“They described being run through the corridors by guards while men in their rooms looked on,” Villagran told CBS News Miami during an interview earlier this week. “They were also allegedly held in cells with up to 30 women in a tiny space with two toilets, no stalls and with cameras trained on them.”
ICE responds to allegations
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said: “ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously. These allegations are not in keeping with ICE policies, practices and standards of care.”
“While the Krome Detention Center is a facility that houses only males, it is not uncommon for female detainees to be staged at Krome. This happens as the agency works on transferring the female detainees to another detention center or while they are waiting for their removal flight,” the spokesperson added. “During the staging process, female detainees are not placed into the general population, thus male detainees to do not have access to female detainees.”
ICE said they can’t substantiate the allegations without specific dates and names. Agency officials also told CBS News Miami that some facilities are experiencing overcrowding due to larger increases in detention populations and that they’re working on moving some detainees to facilities with more capacity.
