3/6/21

By Julie Swift

Carrizo Springs, under the direction of Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS), which operated Tornillo, reopened after sitting empty for over a year. The facility will temporarily house children 13 through 17 in a remodeled former oil field man-camp until they are sent to their sponsors.  

On Saturday, March 6, witnesses Cat Yuracka, Julie Swift and Mario Saenz traveled to Carrizo Springs and greeted a fact-finding delegation from the White House that included Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, with posters and waves. Cat commented, “I was there to welcome them and to remind them that we will continue to Witness at the Border.”

Through reports from witness Susie Tony Melendez, WATB has also followed activity at the Montana Vista/Trail House Facility in El Paso, operated by the for-profit company Caliburn International, which operated Homestead. Trail House is said to be holding 50 children, although no one has seen them yet. We have recently learned that another facility for girls in El Paso, operated by BCFS, will open soon. Susie has regularly driven by and checked on the Caliburn facility and when she heard on the news that an old memory care center was being remodeled to hold children, she investigated and reported back.

This Washington Post opinion piece declares that no matter how well intentioned, no amount of detention is safe for a child and it suggests trauma-informed solutions.