Few cameras have been allowed inside, but advocates, like Tannia Esparza of Young Women United, have. “Many of the women I met with are strong mothers and are really just looking to care for their children,” Esparza said.
Esparza says she heard stories from moms about how in the center, their kids are given little medical attention and women are given little legal help. “They feel very judged and they don't feel safe,” Esparza said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico says they’ve heard the same. Friday, they along with immigration rights groups, filed a lawsuit representing women who say their deportation hearings didn’t meet the letter of the law.
The Department of Homeland Security won’t comment on pending litigation, but officials say everything happening in Artesia and other detention centers has been humane and lawful. More
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