DHS: Inspection reveals two centers held migrants 'longer than specified'

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An inspection of six Rio Grande Valley immigrant processing facilities revealed U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not meet standards at two locations, federal officials announced.

In July 2023, the Department of Homeland Security conducted an on-site, unannounced inspection of three U.S. Border Patrol facilities and three Office of Field Operations ports of entry.

During the time of the on-site inspection, Border Patrol held approximately 2,000 people in custody at two upper Valley procession centers in Donna and McAllen.

"We found that detainees in both Donna and Ursula Centralized Processing Centers (CPC) were held in custody longer than specified in the National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search," DHS said.

The McAllen [Ursula] and Donna migrant centers failed to limit detention to 72 hours. DHS adds the McAllen center was over its maximum holding capacity.

_{Overcrowding of families observed by Office of Inspector General on June 10, 2019, at Border Patrol's McAllen, TX station. (Department of Homeland Security)}

"We also found data integrity issues with information in Border Patrol's electronic system of record," DHS continued. "We found contract medical personnel were understaffed and instances where agents did not offer telephone calls to two unaccompanied children."

Both migrant centers previously received national backlash for the conditions and mistreatment where people were kept in cages, overcrowding cells during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and sleeping on cement floors.

ValleyCentral reached out to CBP for comment and have yet to hear back.