Detention centres in the US fill up due to daily arrests of illegal immigrants

Goal to detain 1.1 Crore illegal immigrants

(A ‘Detention Centre’ is a designated facility where individuals who have entered the country illegally are held for a certain period.)

Washington DC (USA) – Following an order from US President Donald Trump, illegal immigrants are being found and placed in detention centres. With 1,200 immigrants being brought in and held daily, these centres are now overcrowded. As a result, such illegal immigrants are now being placed in prisons. Around 1.1 crore immigrants are expected to be detained and deported to their home countries.

1. The Detention Centres under the ‘Immigration and Customs Enforcement’ (ICE) have a capacity to hold only 41,000 individuals. It is estimated that around 2,000 Indians are being detained in these centres.

2. With the detention centres full, illegal immigrants are being housed in 9 prisons, including those in Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Kansas, alongside other dangerous criminals. Additionally, many have been placed at the Guantanamo Naval Base.

3. According to the ‘American Civil Liberties Union’, the conditions in the prisons are dreadful. Illegal immigrants are not provided meals on time. The food given to them is stale and foul-smelling.

4. During the severe winter, illegal immigrants are forced to sleep on cold floor. They are confined in the most dilapidated cells in the prisons. Immigrants are only allowed to leave their cells for 30 minutes during the day.

Editorial Perspective

The number of Bangladeshi infiltrators in India is said to be more than 5 crores. If the US, which is nearly three times the size of India, can deport 1 crore people, why can’t India do the same ?