Migrants who were detained in a Border Patrol holding facility in McAllen, Texas, described atrocious living conditions and widespread sickness.

The facility which is the largest migrant processing center in South Texas was shut down for 24 hours on Tuesday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after 32 detainees got sick with the flu. This is the same location where a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy became sick and died Monday.

The Catholic Charities Respite Center in central McAllen interviewed more than a dozen. Migrants complained saying “There are sick people. They have coughs and colds. Mainly the children, who are the most vulnerable to becoming ill.”

A veteran Border Patrol agent who asked not to be named, as he is not authorized to speak for the agency said he’s not at all surprised that a flu outbreak happened in the facility. “There are no hand-washing facilities, no showers. The smell is horrendous. Our buildings weren’t built to handle this type of stuff.”

He also stated that the Border Patrol did not cause this problem. He blames Congress for refusing to “get off their butts and fix the problem” by changing laws he says attract asylum seekers.

In the past year, more than 200,000 migrants have been detained in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas – the nation’s busiest illegal crossing spot. Most of them are families and unaccompanied children.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2019/05/23/725951972/thank-god-we-re-okay-migrants-tell-of-conditions-in-a-texas-cbp-holding-facility