'Ticking time bomb': DHS must fix overcrowding at Texas migrant detention centers

The Department of Homeland Security must take immediate steps to defuse "a ticking time bomb" brought on by overcrowding at detention centers for undocumented migrants in South Texas, the agency's Office of Inspector General said in a report dated Tuesday.

"(C)hildren at three of the five Border Patrol facilities we visited had no access to showers, despite the (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) standards requiring that 'reasonable efforts' be made to provide showers to children approaching 48 hours in detention," according to the 16-page report highlighting conditions at the center for both adults and children.

The report, called a "Management Alert," is a follow-up on a similar notice published in May about overcrowded conditions in migrant centers in the El Paso region. That alert prompted follow-up visits by the Inspector General's Office to other centers along the Texas-Mexico border.

'Broken' and 'horrifying': AOC, Joaquin Castro, lawmakers visit Texas border facilities

The visits verified widespread reports that Border Patrol's Rio Grande sector "has the highest volume on the southwest border (of immigrant detainees), with nearly a quarter million apprehensions in the first eight months" of the current fiscal year.

The visits also found numerous instances of migrants, both children and adults, being detained longer than federal guidelines allow.

Trump's 4th of July: Tanks, military vehicles take over DC's streets before Trump's 4th of July celebration

Border Patrol guidelines state that “under no circumstances" should fire marshal occupancy rates for the migrants' cells be exceeded, the report said.

"However, at one facility, some single adults were held in standing room only conditions for a week and at another, some single adults were held more than a month in overcrowded cells," the report said.

The agency's response to the Inspector General's report was to point out that it faces “an acute and worsening crisis" at the detention centers. It noted that two additional tent shelters have been added to house migrants and more planned to be erected later this month.

4th of July: 'Show of a lifetime' or waste of taxpayer dollars? Trump defends 4th of July extravaganza

In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas laid the blame at the White House's doorstep.

"Instead of directing efforts toward humanitarian protection and basic due process rights, the Trump administration is prioritizing cruel immigration enforcement," said Rochelle Garza, an ACLU staff attorney. "Congress must hold DHS accountable and ensure that the urgent problems outlined in the OIG report are fixed immediately.”

Meanwhile, the inspector general warned that the crowded conditions could have dangerous consequences.

"We are concerned that overcrowding and prolonged detention represent an immediate risk to the health and safety of DHS agents and officers, and to those detained," the OIG said. "At the time of our visits, Border Patrol management told us there had already been security incidents among adult males at multiple facilities."

Trump blimp: 'Baby Trump' blimp appears grounded for July 4 protest during president's DC celebration

Among the incidents mentioned in the report were migrants "clogging toilets with Mylar blankets and socks" as a means of obtaining release from the cells while maintenance workers could make repairs.

During that maintenance, there was an escape attempt, prompting staff members to threaten the use of force to restore order, the report said.

"Senior managers at several facilities raised security concerns for their agents and the detainees," the report said. "For example, one called the situation 'a ticking time bomb.'”

Marianne Williamson: Vogue magazine is not the 'gatekeeper' of who gets to run for president

"We recognize the extraordinary challenges (Customs and Border Protection) faces, and welcome the information that DHS has been able to reduce the number of (unaccompanied children) in custody," the report concludes. "However, we remain concerned that DHS is not taking sufficient measures to address prolonged detention in CBP custody among single adults."

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: 'Ticking time bomb': DHS must fix overcrowding at Texas migrant detention centers