Judge appoints independent monitors to examine for-profit ICE lockup where children are held

For the first time since reopening last year, independent monitors will have direct access to a for-profit immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, that holds babies and children along with their parents who have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The two outside observers are Stanford pediatrician Dr. Paul Wise and former U.S. attorney Andrea Sheridan Ordin. The judicial order empowers them to make unannounced visits, interview families and inspect ICE records at Dilley.

In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee said she had “serious concerns” that ICE was not complying with a long-standing rule that prohibits prolonged detention of children.