WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden promised as a candidate to “end for-profit detention centers,” where many children and families who enter the country illegally are held, but his administration is finding the commitment to improve conditions for undocumented immigrants difficult to fulfill, particularly in a pandemic.
Less than a week after taking office, Biden ordered the Department of Justice not to renew contracts with private prison companies. But he did not expand the directive to include the Homeland Security Department, which oversees immigration detention centers.
That lack of action has surprised and frustrated some administration allies and immigrant advocacy groups, who argue that privately operated facilities are dangerous and have suggested alternatives to Biden’s team, including releasing undocumented immigrants to live with family members in the United States while they await their court dates.
