A year after U.S. Customs and Border Protection\n(CBP) facilities were overwhelmed by waves of illegal aliens, conditions have\nimproved in South Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unannounced\ngovernment inspections of five detention centers in Laredo and San Antonio last\nFebruary found water, food, toilets, sinks, basic hygiene supplies and bedding\nwere in plentiful supply and good working order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe observed clean facilities and verified that temperatures and ventilation in the holding rooms were appropriate,\u201d stated a newly released report by the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Office of Inspector General<\/a> (OIG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only\ndeficiency cited was a lack of on-site showers at four of the facilities. But,\nthe report added, \u201cno detainees were approaching the detention time threshold\nwhen a shower would be required.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The findings were a welcome turnaround from OIG\u2019s 2019 inspection that identified \u201cdangerous overcrowding\u201d and a host of other problems at border facilities. (Contrary to bogus media reports, there were no kids in cages<\/a>, however. That story was sooo<\/em> 2014<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n OIG\u2019s latest report generated no media\nheadlines; positive news isn\u2019t news where CBP is concerned. Lawmakers who\nordered the inspections were equally mute when inspectors failed to find\nproblems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But while the OIG report reflects substantial\nimprovement from a year ago, it can be taken with a grain of salt. Only five\nfacilities were reviewed, and they were no longer swamped by the migrant surge\nthat swept across the border in 2019. Also, the February inspection was\nconducted before COVID-19 started to complicate matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan<\/a> announced last week that border apprehensions in August hit 50,000, up from 10,000 from July. But, in a move that could ease potential crowding problems, CBP has been swiftly removing<\/a> many of the recent migrants under public-health protocols. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The next round of OIG inspections at other\nborder facilities will tell whether the progress noted in the Laredo sector is\na trend or an aberration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities were overwhelmed by waves of illegal aliens, conditions have improved in South Texas. Unannounced government inspections of five detention centers in Laredo and San Antonio last February found water, food, toilets, sinks, basic hygiene supplies and bedding were in plentiful supply and good working order.<\/p>\n