Immigrant Activist Protest Jack Harwell Detention Center holding immigrants in Waco Texas

WACO, Texas - Immigrant activists from all over Texas gathered Saturday, July 12th to protest the detention of immigrants in the Jack Harwell Detention Center in Waco, Texas. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) houses 250 detainees at Harwell. The majority of the detainees are young El Salvadoran men fleeing violence at home. They have been ordered removed without the opportunity to see an immigration judge or an officer who can evaluate their fear of returning to their country. They are held in Waco until travel papers are obtained from the El Salvadoran government so that they can be returned to El Salvador. They are civil immigration detainees without criminal charges or records. Detainees at Harwell are not provided with meaningful access to legal assistance or information about how to make a claim for asylum. Activists provided materials in Spanish to the warden of Harwell providing information about the legal system, seeking medical care and asking that they be placed in the library for detainee use. News coverage of the rally: News Channel 25