U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the release of hundreds of women and children from South Texas detention centers over the past week were scheduled as part of "normal operations"—and not in response to a court ruling last Friday barring such facilities from getting childcare licenses. Jonathan Ryan is executive director of San Antonio’s Refugee and Immigrant Center For Education and Legal Services, a group that assists these asylum-seekers. Ryan told TPR that the recent surge is far from routine.
CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates the Dilley Detention Facility, says Johnathan Ryan’s speculation about its profit motives is unfounded. The company’s public affairs director says CoreCivic plays no role in determining the release date of individuals housed in ICE-contracted facilities—and that determination is made solely by ICE.
