This is a tale from d'Lynn a Vietnam vet, look at what is happening with out illegal immigrantion situation. It is time for this to stop.
My name is d'Lynn. I'm a disabled Vietnam vet. I don't look too bad for a beat-up old fart, do I? And that's my ride. She's looking pretty good looking also, especially when you consider that she'll turn twenty this summer. That's right, it's a 1990 with a 1990 sidecar. I can't ride a solo bike, ergo the sidecar rig. It's my sole means of transportation - rain or shine, snow or wind, and this summer also marks a milestone in both of our lives, as I will finally be able to pay her off. Twenty years old? What? Why did it take so long? You weren't paying attention, were you? It's right at the beginning of this paragraph. I am a disabled vet, which means I receive a veterans administration disability pension, which also means "I'm broke!" Just one step ahead of being homeless every month, and that's not an idle statement or an"Oh, whoa is me" dire complaint. There’s a point to this, so hang in there a minute or two and read on.
There's a 25-year-old illegal immigrant woman living in Florida , with eight kids. Yes, eight "anchor babies" and she receives just shy of $1,500 per month per kid, plus medical, plus food stamps. Oh, wait. I've been informed that I shouldn't call them Food Stamps anymore. That's not PC. It's all called “Social Assistance” now. You do the math on that yourself. I'd say that she was schooled early in how to make it in the system. Twenty-five years old, eight kids . . . yep, she started early. You can whip out the calculator if you want, but this women who never has paid a dime in taxes of any kind, (and still doesn't – she's 'illegal,' remember?) is here in this country illegally. She hasn’t paid one one cent in medical for all the “anchor babies,” makes more in one month, legally, than I receive in over a year and a half in disability payments and I can't even get food stamps! Oops, I mean “Social Assistance.”
Technically I am eligible for “Social Assistance.” I was told it would be a walk through – a gimme – being disabled. No problem, and in the very next breath I was also informed that under the law the amount I received in “Social Assistance” would be deducted from my disability pension.
Let's say I take a great photograph. It was just luck, a one of a kind accidental, in the right place at the right time shot. My local newspaper offers me fifty bucks to use the photo in a featured story. (I live in a small town and fifty bucks is all they could afford.) I have to report that fifty dollars to the VA as earned income, which will immediately be deducted from my next month’s disability check. If I don't report it I’m in violation of federal law and technically they can stop my disability pension and prosecute me under a federal felony. Pretty cool, eh? For fifty bucks. I see no point in dealing with two federal bureaucracies, so I don't bother. What's the point?
She's here illegally and with just one kid would make over twice what I receive per month. She has eight and she’s not a stand-out case. She’s not alone. That's the way the system works. Millions of illegal immigrants know this, know how the system works and know how to use it. (Haven't you seen the pamphlet? It's handed out all along our borders, "The Illegal Immigrants' Guide to Keeping America Just The Way It Is.") and that's just the way it works.
Did you know that the federal government provides a “refugee” in this country with a monthly “stipend” of $1,890, plus $580 a month in “Social Assistance?” That’s $2,470 a month, tax-free. That's two and a half times what I’m allowed to receive as a disabled vet. And just what did they do to earn this? All you have to do is show up on our collective doorstep, raise your right hand and swear that you're a refugee and, bingo, receive $30,000 a year, tax-free. That's more than someone making $15 an hour, and they have to pay taxes to boot!
Now, in defense of the Veterans Administration, they are doing what they can with what they've got. This is precious little compared to what they should have to get the job done. At least this country has a VA. It's the Senate that keeps passing laws, rules and guidelines, cutting their budget, denying requests for more staff and computer systems to handle the massive work flow. Their hands are tied by the very government that's supposed to give them what they need to get the job done, by the government you voted into office. Don't scream at the VA. I have. It's mis-guided anger.
The point to this “story?” Just why are you paying such high taxes to support this incredibly screwed-up government? Why? And I’m not proposing you stop paying your taxes. That's wrong. There are good programs and reasons to pay your taxes and support our government. What am I proposing? It's quite simple. Vote. The government, our government, is broken and we as the voters serve as the mainten-ance crew. We fix it . . ... . . by voting.
If your state Senator has been in office more then two terms, vote 'em out at the next election. If your state representative has been in office more then two terms, vote 'em out of office. We put term limits on just about every publicly-elected of-ficial in the country except the House and Senate. Why? Believe me, they know this and love it! Ahhh - the power!
I don't care how much you believe your Senator or Representative is doing a good job. They're not! Look at the government you have, that we have. How can you state they are doing what you want as the voter that put them there? How? Vote them out of office. Do it.
Change the course of this country's history by what you are granted and guaranteed under the law. Vote! And if you have the guts, the anger, the outrage, start a peti-tion in your state for a state-wide initiative to be placed on your next state ballot. Limiting the terms of office for your state senators and state representatives to your federal government to two terms. The federal government will never pass such a law, but you can. You can get it done. You can force it. You can make it a law.
This is the first step in “getting it right.” Just vote. It's simple. It's easy, dammit!
This first step will send a very clear message. It’ll work. It’ill put “us” back in control of “them.” As it should be. As it was intended in the first place.
Are you an American? Born and raised? Then vote!
Side note: I sent this e-mail to a little over one hundred on my e-mail list. If you believe I’m wrong or misguided or you simply don't agree, that's fine. Go right ahead a delete this e-mail. No problem. Sorry to have bothered you. But if you think I just might have a worthwhile idea, something we can easily accomplish, something that could be a small part at getting this country back under “our” control, then please pass this along.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Yard Signs
Now that we are on the ballot, please help show your support. The Rob Taylor for Senate store now has yard signs available.
Go to: The Rob Taylor for Senate Store
We also have shirts and other items to show your support to take back our country.
Go to: The Rob Taylor for Senate Store
We also have shirts and other items to show your support to take back our country.
Press Release - We Made the WI Ballot
For Immediate Release
July 13, 2010
Contact: Mark Gabriel / CPoW Public Relations / (920) 570-1679
US Senate Candidate Rob Taylor Qualifies For State Ballot
Madison, WI (July, 13, 2010) — Independent and Constitution Party candidate for US Senate, Robert (Rob) Taylor, has qualified for ballot access for the November General Election. Mr. Taylor was the first US Senate candidate to submit the required number of signatures to get his name on the ballot and he was the first to be recognized for the ballot by the Government Accountability Board. The Board recognized 2870 valid signatures, well over the 2000 minimum required. Mr. Taylor stated,
“Thanks to a great team of volunteers, we accomplished the huge task of collecting nearly 3000 signatures from all across the state. Voters were happy to see me get on the ballot, because they are sick of politics as usual with the Democrats and Republicans. Both parties are big spenders in Washington and both parties have contributed to the massive growth and unconstitutional over reach of the federal government. The true Tea Party movement is not pro-Republican, but anti-incumbent and pro-constitution.”
US Senate candidate, Rob Taylor, went on to say,
"As God has blessed the State of Wisconsin in so many ways, so too The Taylor for Senate campaign has needed His help and favor. We feel blessed because we have not needed to go on fund raising missions; instead the mission has been the message. Every time the campaign needed something; the money has shown up, just enough to accomplish the mission, but not enough to require reporting. But as you know, with God, all things are possible. Right now people are tired of the million dollar war chest, they don't believe that you need to have that much to run a successful campaign and they are definitely tired of the country club environment of the US Senate.”
To see Rob Taylor’s “Plan as Senator,” go to: http://robtaylorforsenate.com/?page_id=660
______________________________________________
About Rob Taylor for US Senate
Cumberland, Wisconsin City Councilman, Rob Taylor is running for the US Senate seat in Wisconsin for the 2010 elections. He favors a policy of no federal restrictions on law abiding citizens as pertains to the Second Amendment. More information can be obtained at his website www.robtaylorforsenate.com and facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elect-Rob-Taylor-to-US-Senate/119862284703042?v=wall.
July 13, 2010
Contact: Mark Gabriel / CPoW Public Relations / (920) 570-1679
US Senate Candidate Rob Taylor Qualifies For State Ballot
Madison, WI (July, 13, 2010) — Independent and Constitution Party candidate for US Senate, Robert (Rob) Taylor, has qualified for ballot access for the November General Election. Mr. Taylor was the first US Senate candidate to submit the required number of signatures to get his name on the ballot and he was the first to be recognized for the ballot by the Government Accountability Board. The Board recognized 2870 valid signatures, well over the 2000 minimum required. Mr. Taylor stated,
“Thanks to a great team of volunteers, we accomplished the huge task of collecting nearly 3000 signatures from all across the state. Voters were happy to see me get on the ballot, because they are sick of politics as usual with the Democrats and Republicans. Both parties are big spenders in Washington and both parties have contributed to the massive growth and unconstitutional over reach of the federal government. The true Tea Party movement is not pro-Republican, but anti-incumbent and pro-constitution.”
US Senate candidate, Rob Taylor, went on to say,
"As God has blessed the State of Wisconsin in so many ways, so too The Taylor for Senate campaign has needed His help and favor. We feel blessed because we have not needed to go on fund raising missions; instead the mission has been the message. Every time the campaign needed something; the money has shown up, just enough to accomplish the mission, but not enough to require reporting. But as you know, with God, all things are possible. Right now people are tired of the million dollar war chest, they don't believe that you need to have that much to run a successful campaign and they are definitely tired of the country club environment of the US Senate.”
To see Rob Taylor’s “Plan as Senator,” go to: http://robtaylorforsenate.com/?page_id=660
______________________________________________
About Rob Taylor for US Senate
Cumberland, Wisconsin City Councilman, Rob Taylor is running for the US Senate seat in Wisconsin for the 2010 elections. He favors a policy of no federal restrictions on law abiding citizens as pertains to the Second Amendment. More information can be obtained at his website www.robtaylorforsenate.com and facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elect-Rob-Taylor-to-US-Senate/119862284703042?v=wall.
Monday, June 28, 2010
I am electable, and I can win.
Robert Taylor -- US Senate candidate in Wisconsin -- fully endorsed by the CP-Wisconsin
www.RobTaylorforsenate.com Needs your help to gain ballot access!!
Is Rob Taylor electable? Yes I am! Is he constitutional? You bet I am!
This question is one that appears in many circles and is the concern of
many groups and voters. So let’s cut to the heart the matter. Let’s
look first at what we have been given in the past. For many years we have
not had a US Senator who can or would follow the basic tenets of the
Constitution. In fact, we haven’t had too many from either party who have
provided us with any real assurances they will follow the Constitution. One only has to
look at the voting records and the bills that have come from Congress to see
that. This country needs leaders who will defend and support the
Constitution. We need statesmen and leaders.
I am one of those leaders. First I am an average, middle class working
man. My responsibility has been to provide for my family and my
community. I have put my career as a software engineer on hold to pursue
this path. I am not in this for power, fame, or a career. Second, as a
leader in my community, I am a three (3) term elected city councilman in Cumberland, WI
with a record of voting on issues to help my fellow citizens to make sure the
city is spending the people money wisely and to provide a fair and
balance between the government, the business community and the people. Not
an easy tasks. I have been in this race since March of 2009, which makes
me the longest running candidate of them all, even liberal Democrat incumbent Russ Feingold.
I am electable, and I can win. I know the people of Wisconsin are ready
for a leader who will follow the Constitution, a leader that will push
for the state of Wisconsin to have authority and freedom from the federal government according to
Article 1: Section 8 and the Tenth Amendment,
a leader that will not just say cut taxes but who will actually get in there and
eliminate wasteful and unconstitutional programs and federal departments.
But I am only electable if I can get on the ballot. That is why I need
your help, Wisconsin needs your help and the country needs your help. We
need signatures and I can cover only so much space within the time frame
required, just a couple weeks now. So please, get the petition sheet from my web site, which you can
also find on the home page of www.wisconsinconstitutionparty.com, print it
off and send me two sheets (20 signatures), yourself and your family, friends, neighbors. If you
can get ten signatures or one sheet, whatever you can do is appreciated Send it to me at
Rob Taylor
P.O. Box 917
Cumberland, WI 54829
For the survival of the Republic and the success of the Constitution Party and it's message,
Robert Taylor
www.RobTaylorforsenate.com Needs your help to gain ballot access!!
Is Rob Taylor electable? Yes I am! Is he constitutional? You bet I am!
This question is one that appears in many circles and is the concern of
many groups and voters. So let’s cut to the heart the matter. Let’s
look first at what we have been given in the past. For many years we have
not had a US Senator who can or would follow the basic tenets of the
Constitution. In fact, we haven’t had too many from either party who have
provided us with any real assurances they will follow the Constitution. One only has to
look at the voting records and the bills that have come from Congress to see
that. This country needs leaders who will defend and support the
Constitution. We need statesmen and leaders.
I am one of those leaders. First I am an average, middle class working
man. My responsibility has been to provide for my family and my
community. I have put my career as a software engineer on hold to pursue
this path. I am not in this for power, fame, or a career. Second, as a
leader in my community, I am a three (3) term elected city councilman in Cumberland, WI
with a record of voting on issues to help my fellow citizens to make sure the
city is spending the people money wisely and to provide a fair and
balance between the government, the business community and the people. Not
an easy tasks. I have been in this race since March of 2009, which makes
me the longest running candidate of them all, even liberal Democrat incumbent Russ Feingold.
I am electable, and I can win. I know the people of Wisconsin are ready
for a leader who will follow the Constitution, a leader that will push
for the state of Wisconsin to have authority and freedom from the federal government according to
Article 1: Section 8 and the Tenth Amendment,
a leader that will not just say cut taxes but who will actually get in there and
eliminate wasteful and unconstitutional programs and federal departments.
But I am only electable if I can get on the ballot. That is why I need
your help, Wisconsin needs your help and the country needs your help. We
need signatures and I can cover only so much space within the time frame
required, just a couple weeks now. So please, get the petition sheet from my web site, which you can
also find on the home page of www.wisconsinconstitutionparty.com, print it
off and send me two sheets (20 signatures), yourself and your family, friends, neighbors. If you
can get ten signatures or one sheet, whatever you can do is appreciated Send it to me at
Rob Taylor
P.O. Box 917
Cumberland, WI 54829
For the survival of the Republic and the success of the Constitution Party and it's message,
Robert Taylor
Napolitano has it right.
We have a One Big Government Party system. It has a Republican wing that likes war and deficits and assaults on civil liberties and a Democratic wing that likes welfare and taxes and attacks on commercial liberties. It doesn't care about your freedoms because in exercising them you are an obstacle to its power. ...And it will do anything to stay in power."- Judge Andrew Napolitano
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Rules of Due Process
The Rules of Due Process
I will work with the state of Wisconsin to ensure that “The rules of due process” are the People’s Power to control the machine we call government and get the redress for our grievances that millions died for!
The legal industry has hidden the rules of due process from you and from the rest of the public, so lawyers can charge exorbitant fees to do what any 8th grader should be able to do. Due process is your #1 right, because without it none of your other “rights” are enforceable in court! But! To enforce your rights you need to use the rules!
The Constitution mentions due process. It doesn’t begin to explain what due process is or how to use it to control courts … and thereby to control judges, lawyers, giant banks, high-minded government officials, or even angry neighbors! Can we Americans afford not to learn the rules? Due process is the power of the people to control their government by controlling the courts!
I believe it’s criminal for a government to refuse to teach its People how to use due process to enforce the People’s God-given rights! But, our leaders refuse to teach us the rules by which they control us! So I will work with the state and other educational units to get this education put into place. The citizens up until around the 1900’s knew Due Process and we should to.
I will work with the state of Wisconsin to ensure that “The rules of due process” are the People’s Power to control the machine we call government and get the redress for our grievances that millions died for!
The legal industry has hidden the rules of due process from you and from the rest of the public, so lawyers can charge exorbitant fees to do what any 8th grader should be able to do. Due process is your #1 right, because without it none of your other “rights” are enforceable in court! But! To enforce your rights you need to use the rules!
The Constitution mentions due process. It doesn’t begin to explain what due process is or how to use it to control courts … and thereby to control judges, lawyers, giant banks, high-minded government officials, or even angry neighbors! Can we Americans afford not to learn the rules? Due process is the power of the people to control their government by controlling the courts!
I believe it’s criminal for a government to refuse to teach its People how to use due process to enforce the People’s God-given rights! But, our leaders refuse to teach us the rules by which they control us! So I will work with the state and other educational units to get this education put into place. The citizens up until around the 1900’s knew Due Process and we should to.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
New ICE rules for illegal alien detainees
IMPROVING DETENTION
ICE and the private prison company Corrections Corporation of America have agreed to make more than 24 changes at nine facilities. The changes include:
• Relaxing security: Low-risk detainees will have "freedom of movement" in the facilities and will no longer be subject to lock downs or lights out.
• Access: Detainees will be able to have visitors stay as long as they like within a 12-hour window. The facilities will increase attorney visitation space, add un-monitored phone lines and give detainees email and free, Internet-based calling. A unit manager will be available to take complaints directly from detainees.
• Daily life: Detainees will be allowed to wear regular clothing, will have at least four hours of recreation daily, and will be offered cooking, art and dance classes.
Source: ICE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are preparing to roll out a series of changes at several privately owned immigration detention centers, including relaxing some security measures for low-risk detainees and offering art classes, bingo and continental breakfast on the weekends.
The changes, detailed in an internal ICE e-mail obtained by the Houston Chronicle, were welcomed by immigrant advocates who have been waiting for the Obama administration to deliver on a promise made in August to overhaul the nation's immigration detention system.
The more than 24 changes identified in the e-mail range from the superficial to the substantive. In addition to "softening the look of the facility" with hanging plants and offering fresh carrot sticks, ICE will allow for the "free movement" of low-risk detainees, expand visiting hours and provide unmonitored phone lines.
ICE officials said the changes are part of broader efforts to make the immigration detention system less penal and more humane.
Union objects
But the plans are prompting protests by ICE's union leaders, who say they will jeopardize the safety of agents, guards and detainees and increase the bottom line for taxpayers. Tre Rebstock, president for Local 3332, the ICE union in Houston, likened the changes to creating "an all-inclusive resort" for immigration detainees.
"Our biggest concern is that someone is going to get hurt," he said, taking particular issue with plans to relax restrictions on the movement of low-risk detainees and efforts to reduce and eliminate pat-down searches.
The changes outlined in the ICE e-mail are planned for nine detention centers owned and operated by Corrections Corporation of America, including the 900-bed Houston Contract Detention Facility on the city's north side. Some of the changes will be implemented within 30 days, while others may take up to six months, said Beth Gibson, ICE's senior counselor to Assistant Secretary John Morton and a leader of the detention reform effort.
Some of the other major changes include:
• • Eliminating lockdowns and lights-out for low-risk detainees.
• • Allowing visitors to stay as long as they like in a 12-hour period.
• • Providing a unit manger so detainees have someone to report problems to other than the guard.
• • Allowing low-risk detainees to wear their own clothing or other non-penal attire.
• • Providing e-mail access and Internet-based free phone service.
'It's about deportation'
Gibson said the improvements are part of ICE's efforts to detain immigrants in the least restrictive manner possible while ensuring they leave the country if ordered to do so.
"When people come to our custody, we're detaining them to effect their removal," Gibson said. "It's about deportation. It's not about punishing people for a crime they committed."
ICE officials have faced pressure from immigrant advocates and some members of Congress to improve the detention conditions for the roughly 400,000 immigrants it houses annually. The agency has relied on a hodgepodge of more than 250 government-run detention centers, private prisons and local jails to accommodate its growing population — with roughly one in four detainees held in Texas.
At the CCA facilities that have agreed to ICE's changes, detainees will see more variety in their dining hall menus and have self-serve beverage and fresh vegetable bars.
CCA also plans to offer movie nights, bingo, arts and crafts, dance and cooking classes, tutoring and computer training, the e-mail states.
Detainees also will be allowed four hours or more of recreation "in a natural setting, allowing for robust aerobic exercise."
CCA also committed to improving the look of the facilities, such as requiring plants, fresh paint and new bedding in lower-risk units.
Advocates pleased
Some of the improvements offered at the CCA facilities counted as hard-fought victories for immigrant advocates, including plans to improve visitor and attorney access.
"A lot of these measures are what we've been advocating for," said Lory Rosenberg, policy and advocacy director for Refugee and Migrants' Rights for Amnesty International. "Many of these points are very important to changing the system from a penal system, which is inappropriate in an immigration context, to a civil detention system."
Union members said they have concerns about the plans, primarily focusing on safety.
Rebstocksaid some detainees may be classified as low-risk because they have no serious criminal history, but still may be gang members that "haven't been caught doing anything wrong yet."
He also said eliminating lock downs will make it more difficult to protect detainees from one another. He said reducing or eliminating pat-down searches could allow contraband into the facilities, including weapons.
Gibson, with ICE, said the agency is developing a sophisticated classification system and will make sure "that our detainees are still safe and sound."
"As a general matter, it will be the non-criminals who don't present a danger to anyone else who are benefitting from the lowest level of custody," Gibson said.
Cost to taxpayers
Rebstock also questioned the cost to taxpayers for the changes.
"My grandparents would have loved to have bingo night and a dance class at the retirement home they were in when they passed away, but that was something we would have had to pay for," he said. "And yet these guys are getting it on the taxpayers' dime."
Gibson said CCA is making the improvements at no additional cost to ICE. The agency's latest contract with CCA for the Houston detention center requires that ICE pay $99 per bed daily for each detainee, which is slightly lower than the $102 average daily rate ICE pays nationally for contract detention facilities.
Rosenberg said some of the changes, like new flower baskets, may seem small, but they will combine with the bigger changes to make a difference in the daily lives of detainees.
"Taken together they will go some way to making this system less penal," she said.
ICE and the private prison company Corrections Corporation of America have agreed to make more than 24 changes at nine facilities. The changes include:
• Relaxing security: Low-risk detainees will have "freedom of movement" in the facilities and will no longer be subject to lock downs or lights out.
• Access: Detainees will be able to have visitors stay as long as they like within a 12-hour window. The facilities will increase attorney visitation space, add un-monitored phone lines and give detainees email and free, Internet-based calling. A unit manager will be available to take complaints directly from detainees.
• Daily life: Detainees will be allowed to wear regular clothing, will have at least four hours of recreation daily, and will be offered cooking, art and dance classes.
Source: ICE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are preparing to roll out a series of changes at several privately owned immigration detention centers, including relaxing some security measures for low-risk detainees and offering art classes, bingo and continental breakfast on the weekends.
The changes, detailed in an internal ICE e-mail obtained by the Houston Chronicle, were welcomed by immigrant advocates who have been waiting for the Obama administration to deliver on a promise made in August to overhaul the nation's immigration detention system.
The more than 24 changes identified in the e-mail range from the superficial to the substantive. In addition to "softening the look of the facility" with hanging plants and offering fresh carrot sticks, ICE will allow for the "free movement" of low-risk detainees, expand visiting hours and provide unmonitored phone lines.
ICE officials said the changes are part of broader efforts to make the immigration detention system less penal and more humane.
Union objects
But the plans are prompting protests by ICE's union leaders, who say they will jeopardize the safety of agents, guards and detainees and increase the bottom line for taxpayers. Tre Rebstock, president for Local 3332, the ICE union in Houston, likened the changes to creating "an all-inclusive resort" for immigration detainees.
"Our biggest concern is that someone is going to get hurt," he said, taking particular issue with plans to relax restrictions on the movement of low-risk detainees and efforts to reduce and eliminate pat-down searches.
The changes outlined in the ICE e-mail are planned for nine detention centers owned and operated by Corrections Corporation of America, including the 900-bed Houston Contract Detention Facility on the city's north side. Some of the changes will be implemented within 30 days, while others may take up to six months, said Beth Gibson, ICE's senior counselor to Assistant Secretary John Morton and a leader of the detention reform effort.
Some of the other major changes include:
• • Eliminating lockdowns and lights-out for low-risk detainees.
• • Allowing visitors to stay as long as they like in a 12-hour period.
• • Providing a unit manger so detainees have someone to report problems to other than the guard.
• • Allowing low-risk detainees to wear their own clothing or other non-penal attire.
• • Providing e-mail access and Internet-based free phone service.
'It's about deportation'
Gibson said the improvements are part of ICE's efforts to detain immigrants in the least restrictive manner possible while ensuring they leave the country if ordered to do so.
"When people come to our custody, we're detaining them to effect their removal," Gibson said. "It's about deportation. It's not about punishing people for a crime they committed."
ICE officials have faced pressure from immigrant advocates and some members of Congress to improve the detention conditions for the roughly 400,000 immigrants it houses annually. The agency has relied on a hodgepodge of more than 250 government-run detention centers, private prisons and local jails to accommodate its growing population — with roughly one in four detainees held in Texas.
At the CCA facilities that have agreed to ICE's changes, detainees will see more variety in their dining hall menus and have self-serve beverage and fresh vegetable bars.
CCA also plans to offer movie nights, bingo, arts and crafts, dance and cooking classes, tutoring and computer training, the e-mail states.
Detainees also will be allowed four hours or more of recreation "in a natural setting, allowing for robust aerobic exercise."
CCA also committed to improving the look of the facilities, such as requiring plants, fresh paint and new bedding in lower-risk units.
Advocates pleased
Some of the improvements offered at the CCA facilities counted as hard-fought victories for immigrant advocates, including plans to improve visitor and attorney access.
"A lot of these measures are what we've been advocating for," said Lory Rosenberg, policy and advocacy director for Refugee and Migrants' Rights for Amnesty International. "Many of these points are very important to changing the system from a penal system, which is inappropriate in an immigration context, to a civil detention system."
Union members said they have concerns about the plans, primarily focusing on safety.
Rebstocksaid some detainees may be classified as low-risk because they have no serious criminal history, but still may be gang members that "haven't been caught doing anything wrong yet."
He also said eliminating lock downs will make it more difficult to protect detainees from one another. He said reducing or eliminating pat-down searches could allow contraband into the facilities, including weapons.
Gibson, with ICE, said the agency is developing a sophisticated classification system and will make sure "that our detainees are still safe and sound."
"As a general matter, it will be the non-criminals who don't present a danger to anyone else who are benefitting from the lowest level of custody," Gibson said.
Cost to taxpayers
Rebstock also questioned the cost to taxpayers for the changes.
"My grandparents would have loved to have bingo night and a dance class at the retirement home they were in when they passed away, but that was something we would have had to pay for," he said. "And yet these guys are getting it on the taxpayers' dime."
Gibson said CCA is making the improvements at no additional cost to ICE. The agency's latest contract with CCA for the Houston detention center requires that ICE pay $99 per bed daily for each detainee, which is slightly lower than the $102 average daily rate ICE pays nationally for contract detention facilities.
Rosenberg said some of the changes, like new flower baskets, may seem small, but they will combine with the bigger changes to make a difference in the daily lives of detainees.
"Taken together they will go some way to making this system less penal," she said.
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