The T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility

Latest News:

March 6, 2007 - ACLU Sues Department of Homeland Security, Citing Conditions at Hutto Center

Government Description of the Facility: The T. Don Hutto Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison, was converted into the T. Don Hutto Family Residential Facility in May 2006. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), "This state-of-the-art facility was designed for families who have been placed in administrative immigration proceedings and was a major component of the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to end the 'catch and release' of illegal aliens at the southern border." The facility is administered by Corrections Corporations of America (CCA), a privately-owned, for-profit company.

Actual Purpose of the Facility: Although ICE describes the Hutto facility as if it were used exclusively to house undocumented Mexican-American immigrants, the 512-bed facility is also used to house asylum petitioners and other immigrants while their situations are under review. The facility is also, contrary to ICE's implication, not a voluntary government measure; immigrant family residential facilities were mandated in the U.S. Supreme Court's Flores v. Meese (1997) ruling.

Reports of Inhumane Conditions: By the time the Commission for Refugee Women and Children visited Hutto in January 2007, reports had already begun to surface of conditions at the facility. Children had received inadequate access to medical care, education, and exercise. There was reportedly no privacy--detainees were forced to use the restroom in public. Guards kept children in line by threatening to separate them from their families. Any violations of the mandated schedule--daytime naps, for example--could be grounds for disciplinary action.

Spring Cleaning: After the Commission's January visit, Hutto officials realized that media attention was beginning to swell and took some dramatic measures. The razor-wire on the front gate, which looked unappealing on television, was taken down. Rooms were cleaned and repainted. When Austin's WFAA-TV 8 visited the facility on February 9, they found new-looking stuffed animals in rooms and children out on the playground.

Current Status: The facility remains open. Whether the Hutto reforms institituted prior to media visits reflect a permanent policy change, or an attempt to whitewash reports of serious human rights violations at the facility, remains to be seen. What is clear is that more oversight is needed, and that officials should be held accountable for any prior human rights abuses at the facility. The ACLU lawsuit will be helpful in both respects.

External Links: There is a great deal of information available on Hutto, and none of it should be read with an uncritical eye:

• Prison-Like Conditions at Hutto Detention Center (ACLU)
  • A solid page on the ACLU lawsuit against the Hutto facility, on behalf of ten child detainees ranging in age from 3 to 16. The web site features firsthand accounts from prior detainees, drawings from children who have been held at the facility, and the latest on the ACLU's case.
• Don Hutto Family Residential Facility (official page)
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set up this page on Hutto in January 2007 in an attempt to respond to early criticism of the facility. To say that it puts an optimistic spin on things would be an understatement.
• Locking up Family Values (Commission for Refugee Women and Children) (Adobe/PDF Format)
  • The original report on Hutto. A few excerpts:
    • Family members are housed in old inmate cells located within housing pods ... There were no personal items or toys visible. There is no divider separating the sleeping area from the toilet area, so families are not afforded any privacy when using the toilet.
    • (Rebecca) told us that her son had a toothache and she put in a request to see the dentist. After three weeks, “he was finally taken to see the dentist, who pulled his tooth without Novocain or anesthesia. My son was in terrible pain.”
    • At the time of our visit to Hutto, children and adults received one hour of education daily, Monday through Friday ... The older students, ages 13–18, are in one class. Younger students between approximately four and 12 attend the same class, and the youngest children either sit in the adult classes or go to the elementary classrooms ... On the day we visited ... the elementary classroom, the children were coloring. Detainees complained that in the elementary classes children just sing and color.
    • (Carmen) told us that when the children in the pods were too loud or active, guards would turn up the air conditioning so that the room became very cold.
• Detention Center Was Renovated for Media Trip (WFAA-TV 8)
  • Report of an Austin, Texas TV station that visited the facility and noted some suspiciously well-timed renovations, among other things.