No Child Left Behind Bars
New documentary reveals the shocking truth behind a Texas immigrant prison.
By Stacy Adams, Winter 2009
TIn May 2006, a medium-security prison was transitioned into a facility to house thousands of undocumented immigrant families from around the globe, most of whom were seeking asylum in the U.S. The T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, Texas was a failed attempt to execute the controversial immigration policies of the American government during the Bush administration. More specifically, the Hutto family detention center was created as an alternative to the “catch and release” policy, where un-documented immigrants arrested at the border were trusted to appear for their immigration and/or deportation hearing. Since many did not return for their hearings, and believing in the need for a stricter immigration policy, the Hutto center was opened under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), operated by the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the largest private prison company in the U.S. The center was meant to be a blessing for those detained, because families would not be separated, as they are at most other detainment centers.
The Least of These, a docu-mentary film by Clark Lyda and Jesse Lyda, chronicles the campaign to abolish the Hutto family detention center. While awaiting their trials, detainees had contacted immigration attorney Barbara Hines, who filed a lawsuit with Vanita Gupta of the ACLU and Michelle Brané of the Women’s Refugee Commission against the government on behalf of the detainees.
The voices these three activists provide the framework for the film. We see the detention center, its harsh conditions, and interviews with many of the detained families who had been detained there. In Hutto, the parents and their children were placed in prison cells, wore prisoner uniforms, had only twenty minutes for meals, and lived behind barbed wire fences. Children only received one hour of education per day, and pregnant mothers were denied prenatal care. The film is a compelling and thought provoking exploration of not only Hutto, but also the government policy and human rights.
I recommend taking the time to see The Least of These. The existence of Hutto has escaped media attention, and there is little common knowledge about it. Through this film we can all have another opportunity to analyze the “good” intentions of the U.S. government’s controversial im-migration policies, and see the deplorable results. It is also the story of how people, almost powerless to fight the government, succeeded in the struggle for social justice.