Media Analysis Of Chilling First-Hand Report Of Migrant Detention Centers

The following media analysis concerns the piece “Chilling first-hand reports of migrant detention centers highlight smell of 'urine, feces,' overcrowded conditions” (USA Today). Published on December 16, 2019 by Jim Sergent et. al, this article presents a response to the 600,000 migrants taken into custody by ICE, the United States immigrant and customs enforcement. The piece details the state of the detention center as seen through the eyes of government officials and pediatricians, both of whom largely reprimanded the conditions of the facility. The piece contains pictures of detained families and quotes from these officials. This analysis will examine the perspective of the article and its relevance to larger immigration issues, claiming

The government officials and pediatricians that toured the building recounted that “children had no access to showers” and “two facilities had not provided the children with hot meals until we arrived” (USA Today). These vivid, second-class descriptions of the detention centers clearly position the article against how they are run and perhaps their overall existence. Though these illustrative descriptions are seemingly factual and objective, they imply a certain prescriptive view, one that criticizes the detention centers. The article also has scattered pictures through its descriptions that support this viewpoint; for example, one image depicts a detained child’s drawing of the detention center. The piece portrays six stick figures, seemingly frowning, all evenly spread out

At the very least, the quotes imply that the detention centers evoke the same atmosphere of a prison and that the government must invest in improving the centers’ conditions. However, the government could avoid investing in the centers if they did not exist in the first place, a scenario in which the government could put funds towards giving these immigrants citizenship. This issue brings rise to conflict between the political parties, as most right-wing politicians want to deport illegal immigrants. For example, Congressman Doug Lamborn of Colorado’s fifth district cites that illegal immigration “[drains] public funds… unfairly depress wages by increasing competition… they consume affordable housing… and they compromise our nation’s security” (Lamborn). Lamborn essentially sees illegal immigrants as a pestilence of United States society, and he supports deporting illegal immigrants as stated on his website. Some of these statements may have economic merit: cheap labor generally increases competition and such laborers live in affordable housing. However, the rhetoric used by Lamborn alienates and “others” the immigrants (Cruz). The USA Today article demonstrates how the United States views these people: the wretched conditions of the ICE facilities coincides with Lamborn’s views that illegal immigrants do not fit into US society, since they are