Are ICE Detention Centers Necessary?

from Latino USA · host My Cultura, Futuro and iHeartPodcasts

This week, we report on the origins of privately-run immigration detention centers and ask: “Are these places actually necessary?” The unprecedented health crisis created by the coronavirus forced the release of thousands of migrants across the country, plunging the number of people detained in immigration facilities to a historic low. And despite the dwindling detention numbers, the immigration court system never collapsed. So this begs the question: did we ever need detention facilities in the first place?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Oct 1, 2021

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What this episode covers

“Are detention centers necessary?” is an historical account of ICE facilities and how they came to be notorious for abuse towards migrants. These abuses were magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic, which subsequently led to the release of migrants, plunging the number of migrants detained to historic lows. Yet, the immigration court system never collapsed: people showed up to their court hearings, paid their fees, etc. So this begs the question: did we ever need detention centers in the first place?