At the Karnes City “detention” center in Texas, illegal immigrants will hardly be living a detainee’s life. No, at this newly renovated facility for women and children, they’ll be referred to as “residents” and surrounded by comforts that many American citizens don’t even have: suites with bunk beds, flat screen TV sets, play tables for kids, stuffed animals, a landline phone, and new clothes.
On site, however, there are even more amenities: basketball courts, ping-pong tables, a weight room, a soccer field, a future playground, and access to a dentist, health care, education, a library, Internet, a hair salon, and a cafeteria, which will serve “residents” three all-you-can-eat meals per day.
The newly refurbished facility can house 532 illegal immigrants at an estimated $74,000 per day. And the average stay for a detainee is 23 days; Lucero told reporters they will do their best to maintain that average.
“While they are getting their due process and going through the proceedings, we will provide a safe environment for them,” ICE San Antonio Field Office Director Enrique Lucero told media during a tour of the facility on Thursday.
While it’s encouraging to see our government treating these migrants more humanely than locking them in overcrowded cages, they have undoubtedly overcompensated with “resident centers” such as these. It is terrible to think about the homeless, the hungry, and many veterans in this country who, despite their citizenship (and in the case of veterans, their sacrifices), are not provided this level of attention and care—especially given that this is at the taxpayer’s expense.
