Thread by @ImmCivilRights

Here’s a new #FOIA doc obtained through @MuckRock about OIG’s El Paso Border Hold Stations Report: muckrock.com/foi/united-sta…

The things Border Patrol, Coast Guard, and DoD personnel told @DHSOIG investigators during spot visits are chilling.

Essentially, they admit the “humanitarian” problem with packing single adults into 80-degree hold rooms like sardines, but say if there’s not ICE detention or prosecution, the flows of migrants won’t decrease.

That means @DHSgov is using these conditions of confinement to deter

OIG also heard stories of BP agents moving up their retirement dates, seeking transfers to other agencies, having increased drinking, domestic violence, and financial problems because of the human toll seeing these atrocities is taking on front-line agents. #CloseTheCampsNow

The numbers of people OIG witnessed crammed inside and sleeping on concrete for long periods of time shock the conscience.

🚨🚨“Border Patrol management described Paso del Norte Bridge Border Patrol station (PDT) as ‘chaos’.”🚨🚨

“Border Patrol agents raised concerns that overcrowding and prolong detention represent an immediate risk to the health and safety not just of the detainees, but also of @DHSgov agents and officers. BP Mgmt on site said there is a high incidence of illness among their staff ...”

When @DHSOIG confronts @ICEgov senior leadership with the @CBP complaints about available long-term bed space, ICE’s Natalie Asher essentially throws BP under the bus, saying, in essence, BP can release any of these folks that it wants, and conditions are BP’s fault if they don’t

“Cell 1 had a capacity of 35 but a head-count reflected around 155 adult male aliens [sic] in standing room only conditions.

“Cell 2 was empty and being cleaned, but 140 Ashley male detainees were crowding the hallways and common areas of the small facility . . .

“Cell 3 had signage for a capacity of 12 but a head count reflected around 76 adult female aliens [sic] in standing room only conditions. The e3 count for Cell 3 was 57, although the actual count was 76.”

“Further, an adjacent cell (Cell 4) had signage for a capacity of 8 but a head-count reflected around 41 adult female aliens [sic] in standing room only conditions; the e3 count for this Cell was 47. There was no realistic space for aliens to lie down and sleep.”

ICE’s answers to OIG:

We want to use this report in order to push for more $$ for immigrant prisons.

*Adult. Not “Ashley”