Washington, April 20 (EFE).- The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) paid $17 million for hotel rooms for immigrants that were largely unoccupied, according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released this Wednesday.
“ICE did not adequately justify the need for a single-source contract to house migrant families and spent approximately $17 million for space and services in six hotels that were largely unused between April and June 2021,” the document indicates. report.
The arrangement with a single contractor, the signs Endeavorsresulted in millions of dollars being spent on unused hotel rooms, he added.
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In addition, Endeavors failed to comply with the new health protocols of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and with the appropriate covid-19 tests for migrant families, he details.
“For example, there were families that ICE did not test for detection of covid-19 before transporting them to hotelsand were not always tested by Endeavors staff upon arrival or departure from hotels,” the report adds. This “put the migrant families and the population around at risk of contracting covid-19″, he details.
The OIG explained that between April and September 2021 it carried out remote and on-site inspections of ICE hotels that housed migrant families and, in the course of those inspections, identified reasons to be concerned about the contract and the care of the detainees.
ICE began housing detained family groups at the Berks Family Residential Center (FRC) in Leesport, Pennsylvania in 2001.
In 2014 and as a result of the increase in families captured in the southern United States borderICE opened two other FRCs, in Dilley and Karnes, both in Texas. At that point, the three had a total capacity of 6,652 beds.
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In 2007, the agency developed its regulations for the operation of these residential centers, including the care medical, food, legal advice, education services and means for complaints.
“At the beginning of 2021, ICE anticipated another increase in border crossings by family units and, to increase its lodging capacity, ICE signed an $86.9 million contract for the period March to September, for the provision of 1,239 beds and other necessary services in hotels,” the report said.
With information from EFE
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