Thread by @RAICESTEXAS

What's happening in Texas is criminal:
Food shortages. Unsafe drinking water. Impassable roads. Flooded homes. A humanitarian crisis like we’ve not seen before.

This is what's going on in immigrant detention centers in the midst of the #TexasFreeze & what you can do to help🧵👇🏾

We have 10 offices across the state and most of our 250+ staff members have been without power for much of the week.

Luckily, we've now been able to communicate with many of our clients & community members both in and out of detention centers.

But things are looking bleak.

Immigrants in detention centers are freezing cold and not able to get the word out about what’s going on inside these prisons.

Take Ubaldo's situation for example 👇🏾

https://twitter.com/RAICESTEXAS/status/1362164261015937025?s=20

At one of the two family "residential" centers in Dilley, Texas conditions are getting worse by the hour. There are 300+ children, mothers & fathers imprisoned right now without reliable water or power.

https://twitter.com/norapicasso/status/1361791552528465920?s=20

Meanwhile, at Karnes family prison the power has turned back on but has been intermittent.

We've been told that their rooms remain very cold and that they only have one blanket per person. One client reported that he was given a jacket but only after asking for one.

While our attorneys have been in contact w/ICE to request folks be given adequate water, blankets, food & translation services...Karnes is privately run by @GEOGroup, so it's up to them to provide these things.

As much as we'd like to send warm clothes, blankets...etc. to families trapped inside these facilities (& we know you would too), ICE does not allow us to give items to the folks we work with & they don't accept any type of donations from the public.

So what can you do to help?

1⃣Get informed about the dangers of family detention.

ICE told us there wouldn't be new intakes or releases this week bc of the roads & airport closures. But the fact of the matter is folks wouldn't be in this position if we weren't holding them hostage.

raicestexas.org/2021/01/28/fam…

2⃣Use this tool 👇🏾 to email @POTUS and ask him to #EndFamilyDetention once and for all bc there is no “safe” way to detain a child.

raicestexas.org/ask-president-…

3⃣Don't forget that family separations happen in different forms and it is very much alive!

#FreeUbaldo is part of the fight to #FreeThemAll 🗣️

https://twitter.com/RAICESTEXAS/status/1362164273187815432?s