FLASHPOST: Abuse in Immigrant Detention Centers and What Department(s) and Agency(ies) Have Oversight Authority Over Them

[I've been having some issues with Executive Control lately, so I've procrastinated a bit on the "Redlining Political Communities" series. I've procrastinated on a lot of things. Don't know why. No matter. In lieu of another part in that series, today I release (a day early, I might add) a quick flashpost that wrote in a fit of emotion after hearing a good podcast about a disturbing situation.]

RIGGER WARNING ABOUT THE LINKED PODCAST EPISODE: podcast episode does contain explicit retellings of abusive situations, if not physical, then emotional.

Want to get angry? Here's an Embedded podcast episode about sexual abuse in immigration detention centers (the main interviewee is kinda problematic, but even then, the power differential definitely puts the guard in the fault). What's super disturbing:

• Temporary immigration centers are under purview of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  
  
• "Permanent" detention centers for at least kids are under Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which makes some sense but always surprises me
  
  
• Prisons for actual criminals have Department of Justice (DOJ) oversight

Regular prisons receive much more stringent oversight by DOJ than immigrant detention centers.

I'm generally a progressive that appreciates executive departments and agencies run by professionals. In this case, though, might we have too many departments or not enough departments providing oversight? I know DHS is something of an attempt to consolidate departments, which has had mixed results. Nonetheless, in regards to immigration, immigrants, and asylum seekers, no matter one's political alignment, some re-organization and mission statement reviews could prove beneficial to the United States immigration morass of a system.

Frankly, it has come time for a comprehensive review of Executive Departments and Agencies and their remits. Considering how much these departments and agencies have become abused over the last two and a half years, they need it. After looking into how Executive Departments and Agencies work, though, such a process looks difficult and requires, per usual and as it should be, political consensus among the branches of the government.

I guess that just leaves it in the hands of us, the voters, to vote for candidates in the offices of President, the House of Representative, the Senate, State Attorney Generals, State Governors, and State Congresspeople who will fight for a more just border and immigration system. Then we have to keep doing it, every two years. Are you up for it?

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