Ground zero in the immigration debate
Dilley, Texas -- The more than 1,800 women and children who are being detained in this isolated part of South Texas are called "residents." Their bunk bed-filled barracks are called "suites." And their living quarters are situated in "neighborhoods" named after a cuddly brown bear, a pretty blue butterfly and a bright red bird.
Yet, there is no mistaking what this place is — a tightly secured immigration detention center complete with roaming guards, metal detectors and high fences.
The South Texas Family Residential Center — the largest of its kind in the U.S. with capacity to hold 2,400 people — is now ground zero in the contentious national debate over illegal immigration. And there is a lot at stake in that debate for Georgia, a state that has fought for years to drive out immigrants living illegally within its borders.
About the Author
Jeremy Redmon is an award-winning journalist, essayist and educator with more than three decades of experience reporting for newspapers. He has written for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2005.
