A crowded Customs and Border Protection facility holding migrants in Donna, Texas, was designed "kind of like a drunk tank" — and not for long-term detention, according to a labor union spokesman.
In an interview with the Daily Caller, National Border Council spokesman Chris Cabrera said CBP is holding migrants in packed cells constructed from clear plastic curtains that contain a toilet, a water fountain, and concrete benches — accommodations originally intended for short-term detention only.
"We have running water in, say, our station, the cells have a toilet, they have a water fountain, they have concrete benches because we’re designed kind of like a drunk tank," Cabrera told the Daily Caller.
The facilities were designed for people who are "going to be there for a few hours, 24 hours at the most and maybe get a baloney sandwich or two and you’re on your way," Cabrera told the news outlet.
CBP opened the temporary processing facility Feb. 9 and was expected to have "ample" room for migrants detained there, the agency announced at the time.
ABC News has reported the facility held more than 3,800 migrants the week of March 23, approximately 1,550% over its capacity of 250.
"Yeah, they’re overcrowded. Our facilities are very spartan. I don’t know another word to say that. They’re just very basic," Cabrera told the Daily Caller.
According to the Daily Caller, videos taken March 17 show migrants sleeping on mats on floors and shelves stocked with clothing, hygiene items, and food products.
Fox News has reported a Border Patrol whistleblower said conditions at the Donna facility were "extremely unsafe and unhealthy for the detainees, agents, and civilian workforce."
Cabrera verified the report, the Daily Caller reported — and part of the reason is because the facility has only acquired what would be needed if the facility reached capacity.
"Now we’ve gotten into this long-term detention and even our long-term detention isn’t set up for as long as it is," Cabrera told the Daily Caller.
"There are hot showers. There’s some hot food they get at certain times of the day and they get thin little flimsy mattresses that they can take. Apparently, there’s not enough of those things to go around because we’re way, way overcapacity."
"If you wanted to break out you could do it with your teeth," he told the Daily Caller of the soft-sided facility.
"To the outside, that’s just a piece of plastic. It’s a tent. On top of that, nothing’s locked, you wouldn’t even need to break out of it you could just walk out of it," he added.
There haven’t been any instances of that, he told the Daily Caller.
CBP encountered over 100,000 migrants in February, including more than 9,000 unaccompanied migrant minors and nearly 20,000 family units, according to the agency.
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