
NEWS: Opinion: Otero County, NM, facility is protecting migrants’ human dignity
I think the Otero County Processing Center in Chaparral, New Mexico, is a great example of the way a detention center should be run. I have visited the center on many occasions. It is clean, well-maintained and a very good environment. Staff are trained to respect and treat everyone with great care and dignity. You can see it in their daily interactions. And you can see in the faces of the detainees that they feel comfortable with staff and with the services they receive.
Detainees also have access to online legal resources to help them with their cases. The facility has a library with hundreds of books. Migrants are given three nutritious meals a day. They can talk or visit with family. They can participate in recreation daily. There are even educational and other services available to help the men and women during their time at the facility.
So while our elected officials continue to battle over how we move forward with this complex issue, it’s good to know that we are doing the right thing here in our community.
John Colquitt is a Chaparral business owner and volunteer liaison between the community and the detention center.