CCA Pick for Texas Immigration Jail Draws Ire

"Five years after claims of scathing human rights abuses ended the detention of immigrant families at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, federal officials this week have unveiled plans to build another detention center in South Texas to house parents and children amid the unprecedented number of minors crossing the border from Mexico and Central America.  If the deal goes through, which officials in Frio County say is more than likely, the new site 70 miles southwest of San Antonio would be run by the same private prison company that ran the old facility just northeast of Austin: Corrections Corporation of America.  Proponents of the plan say they aren’t concerned by the company’s track record and are excited by the prospects, pointing to potential job growth and economic development.  But the controversial proposal is sparking the ire and concern of lawyers and advocates who question whether the contract was open to other bidders and who say federal authorities are repeating mistakes by locking up children." - Jazmine Ulloa, Austin American-Statesman, Sept. 9, 2014.