Lawyers representing families seeking asylum in the US through the Berks Country Residential Center have called for a speedy process of hearing on whether the facility should be closed down or retained. The lawyers, advocating for the closure of the facility have termed its existence as a violation of human rights, citing the unsuitability and low-security status of the facility.
The facility has been a center of activity in the recent past with the US Immigration department focusing on decongesting it. In the process, the asylum-seeking families have either been deported from the country of granted temporary stay in the country.
The facility, located North of Philadelphia in Berks County, is one of three such facilities in the US which hold immigrant children and families who have migrated into the nation illegally.
Through a spokesperson of the People’s Justice Center, a NGO group representing the Berk’s asylum seekers, the group has since filed a lawsuit seeking to legally determine whether the facility qualifies to be licensed by the government. The group’s representative also said that its licensure would be against the resident’s wishes.
The controversy surrounding the existence of the facility is however, not new. In 2016, for instance, the Department of Human Services deemed it unsuitable for adult residence citing numerous inconsistencies and therefore sought to have its license withdrawn or revocked. However, in a court case filed then, the judge, influenced by political pressure, reinstated the facility’s license of a temporary basis.
Representatives of the authority representing the facility’s detainees were quoted saying that the issue surrounded the inhumane conditions in which the families detained in the facility lived in. Anne Donohue said that the priority was to ensure that the detainees had their personal interests and needs were adequately represented and looked after, irrespective of the outcome.
On the other hand, in a statement issued by the Immigration and Customs officials, the government was dedicated towards renovating the facility to a pristine condition suitable for habitation and ensuring that the safety and welfare of the residents are well taken care of.
Colin Day, the Department of Human Services spokesperson revealed in the statement that investigations into the allegations tendered by the state and the representatives of the families were done. The outcome thereof, according to Day, established that majority of the allegations were false and baseless.
The issue has sparked mixed and heated reaction among those affected with some terming the facility as a prison environment, unsuitable for human habitation.
