Homeland Security report warns of ‘dangerous overcrowding’ in Texas migrant detention centres, calls situation a ‘ticking timebomb’

The inspector general for the US Department of Homeland Security warned on Tuesday about “dangerous overcrowding” in migrant detention facilities in Texas. Washington: The inspector general for the US Department of Homeland Security warned on Tuesday about “dangerous overcrowding” in migrant detention facilities in Texas. Costello said her office had toured five Border Patrol holding facilities in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley in early June and observed “serious overcrowding and prolonged detention of unaccompanied alien children, families, and single adults.” “Specifically, Border Patrol was holding about 8,000 detainees in custody at the time of our visit, with 3,400 held longer than the 72 hours generally permitted,” she said. Human beings are being herded like animals right now in our country,” Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted, while Senator Bernie Sanders wrote that those in charge of the detention centres “do not respect basic human rights.” Mayor Pete Butigieg tweeted that he was “outraged by these photos,” and Senator Corey Booker wrote that “this report is nothing short of horrific.” The report comes as the White House and Customs and Border Protection officials pushed back against criticism from the Democratic lawmakers who toured migrant detention facilities on Monday. CBP deputy commissioner Robert Perez, appearing on CNN, said the detention centres were “never designed to deal with the volume of migrants coming our way” and the Border Patrol is doing its best to deal with “absolutely oversaturated conditions.” In addition to criticism over detention conditions, the Border Patrol is also under fire following the revelation of a secret Facebook group for current and former agents that is filled with racist memes and posts mocking migrants.