FEMALE DETAINEES REMOVED FROM INS DETENTION CENTER

Ninety women who were being held by the INS at the Krome Detention Center have been transferred to a jail in Miami for their protection as federal officials step up their investigation into sexual abuse at the detention center.  Immigration advocates have been calling for the removal of female detainees from Krome for months, following several allegations of guards making improper sexual demands of them. 

While advocates are pleased the women are being moved, they are concerned about the decision to move them to a jail.  It will distance them from attorneys and legal representation.  Also, none of the women are serving criminal sentences, and those who have been convicted of crimes have already served their sentences.

Most of the women, at least 55 of them, are asylum seekers who were detained because they entered the US without proper documentation.  This move raises further questions for the already hotly debated issue of how the US treats asylum seekers.  It also raises concerns about the INS practice of using local jails to house its detainees.  While the INS has assured that the women will be kept separate from the criminal population, and says that they will generally have better living conditions than they did in Krome, advocates point out that by sending them to a prison, the INS is punishing them when there is no criminal conviction.

One guard at Krome has been charged with assaulting a male-to-female detainee.  There are also allegations of detainees engaging in inappropriate sexual contact.  Another guard has been accused of theft and destruction of files, and an employee has pled guilty to taking bribes.  Dozens of guards have been transferred out of Krome.  Federal officials indicate that more charges may come in the future.