Professor Murillo holds lecture on immigration prisons

Imagine being inexplicably locked up in a private prison with your entire family.  Seems far-fetched?  Hardly.  This is a fact for many immigrants in the aftermath of Sep. 11.  The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), a private prison, is responsible for detaining over 80,000 people in the United States.  The CCA focuses on holding immigrants, particularly at the T. Don Hutto facility in Taylor, Texas, which is dedicated to the incarceration of families with young children. 

NEIU Professor Ruben Murillo focused on the CCA and its impacts as well as the vital, yet villainous role the media play in the misrepresentation of immigration for his talk on immigration Jan. 11 in the Ronald Williams Library. 

During his captivating discussion, Murillo explained how entry into the United States without inspection is similar to driving with expired tags, yet many people are incarcerated for this minor, civil offense. 

He said that he had taken a college class in California to Immigration Court where his class witnessed the injustice of our new, post 9-11 immigration laws first-hand.  In immigration court, they saw a case brought to trial of a gentleman who spoke perfect English, who had had his green card since 1962, yet was detained for 18 months in a CCA prison due to entry without inspection.  

According to Murillo, over 90 people have died while incarcerated in CCA prisons. This is because there is a notable lack of accountability in private prisons that would not be possible in a public institution.

Murillo explained that when it comes to immigration, the poor communities of color are disproportionately targeted by police.  This helps to rationalize incarceration rates.  He then went on to explain how half of all immigration detainees are Mexican people and how they have been stereotyped to embody the lowest of the low in the societal matrix.  

Lastly, Murillo discussed the role racism and white supremacy play in citizen/non-citizen portrayals in the media.  One example he noted was "30 Days", a reality TV episode by Morgan Spurlock that featured "Frank" a border vigilante and minute man who lived with the Gonzalez family, an illegal Mexican family in the United States for 30 days. 

During this time Frank went from despising Mexicans to understanding their desperation and poverty.  He came to applaud one person in the family in particular, Armida, a young teen, because she was the most Americanized of the family.  Armida's work ethic and ambition were legitimatized by a white male teacher who praises her by saying she could be "an outstanding citizen."  Her goal in life is to go to Princeton.  Murillo pointed out how it was ironic that this young woman must and had to be recognized by a white male to authenticate her existence.

Eventually, Murillo explained, Frank travels to Mexico to witness the squalid and impoverished circumstances of the Gonzalez family's origins first-hand.  In doing so, the show validates the United States as being inherently superior to Mexico. 

At the end of the program, while Frank said a tearful good-bye to the Gonzalez family, no real changes were made by him as he returned to his job, which is dedicated to persecuting illegal immigrants.

Murillo emphasized that this seperated hierarchical paradigm with its anti-immigrant platforms puts a human face on immigration, and supports the illusion that America's abundant prosperity makes the United States desirable to other countries. 

What the film does not do is acknowledge the direct hand that the United States played in creating political conditions that drive Latin immigrants northward, such as giving weapons to rebels in Nicaragua and El Salvadore.  

To see for yourself evidence of the Don T. Hutto CCA private prison, complete with children, Youtube search "Ice Hutto."