Clint residents shun publicity over border facility controversy

A Border Patrol facility in Clint has been getting national and international attention over it’s alleged treatment of unaccompanied immigrant children. Clint residents are not comfortable with all that publicity.

“The publicity alone is bad,” said Clint resident Henry Sanchez, referring to all the television cameras in front of the Border Patrol station in Clint.

That facility holds recently detained unaccompanied immigrant children who entered the U.S. illegally, before officials transfer them to other government facilities.

A group of lawyers who toured the facility last week revealed what they called crowded and deplorable conditions for children held in the Clint station.

Those reports reached homeowners like Sanchez.

“I’ve heard that it’s unclean, they’re not getting fed, you know. They’re sleeping on floors, on concrete floors, and things like that,” said Sanchez.

Border Patrol officials gave reporters a tour of the facilities on Wednesday, five days after the lawyers’ allegations were made public.

Officials say the purpose of the tour was to remain transparent about conditions inside the facility.

However, no journalist was permitted to take any electronic devices for videotaping or photography inside the facility.

” Well, I think they think that something bad’s going on in Clint. And it’s focused on Clint. Which it shouldn’t focus on Clint itself, it’s just what is going on there at that facility,” added Sanchez.

Clint is getting much more than reporters visiting the facility, as protestors are now staging demonstrations outside the Border Patrol facility.