A Look At Ethan Couch's Living Conditions While Being Held In Mexico
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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (CBSDFW.COM) - Aurora Vega, the Director of Communication of National Institute of Migration of Mexico describes Ethan Couch's holding center where foreigners stay when they have problematic (illegal) migratory status.
This center is an installation of national security.
Media is not allowed to receive any videos nor can they visit the residents.
The organizations that have full access are the Red Cross, ACNUR, Human Rights – direct relatives migrants may visit as can lawyers who have been certified and hired by migrant in process.
The center has surveillance 24x7 under very strict supervision by INM.
There are 3 areas which are independent from each other- no interaction among groups.
-One for males
-One for females
-One for families.
Sick patients are placed in isolated areas and supervised by medical teams.
All migrants are the same there are no privileges given to anyone.
Food:
Three meals are served per day - all the meals are supervised by a nutritionist, everyone is served the same menu except people with dietary restrictions related to health needs or religious traditions
Food is served in a common and large dining room, they serve the food by groups.
The quality of the food is good and they are offered a balance diet. The center receives random visits from human rights organizations to make sure the conditions are humane.
Sleeping areas:
The sleeping areas are share by 5 people the room size is 16 square meters.
Each person has a thin foam mattress with 2 sheets.
The most popular nationalities of foreigners in the holding center are Guatemala, Honduras Salvadorians, Africans, Chinese, Indus, most of them migrating for economic reasons.
The hygiene habits are not as the standards of U.S. middle class, usually the smell of sweat is very strong. Many of the residents opt not to bathe or keep their clothes clean. They have places where they can hand wash their clothes.
As the foreigners are admitted to the holding center they are given a:
Hygiene kit: Towel, tooth brush, tooth paste, soap, hand sanitizer ( alcohol)
Each area has common showers
Electronics not allowed: none of the migrant have access to cell phones, Internet and or computers.
Entertainment:
The center has basketball and soccer areas. The migrants are free to move within their areas, they are never locked or handcuffed.
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