(The inside of Willacy County immigrant detention center, which human rights groups say was rife with abuse before a riot broke out.Latest news link)
One of America's most notorious detention centers may be opening its doors again under President Donald Trump.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is considering reactivating the vacant Willacy County Correctional Facility in Raymondville, Texas, according to Texas Monthly, prompting concerns about the center's history of abuse, neglect, and other illegal activity.
The news comes as ICE rapidly moves to expand its detention capacity along the Mexican border, under instruction from Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly.
Built in 2006 with a maximum capacity of 3,000, the detention center was the largest in the country at the time —but it faced problems immediately.
Attorneys and immigration advocates revealed that undocumented immigrants were held up to 23 hours a day in the center's 10 windowless tents, and reported insufficient food, medical attention, clothing, and access to telephones, all within a year of the facility opening.
The problems continued in 2007, when in July officials discovered maggots in the inmates' food supplies. Though officials called the incident a one-time occurrence, inmates complained the next month of mold, flooded toilets, and infestations of insects and rodents.
Inmates also claimed they were being given dirty underwear and towels for use, as well as shoes and socks with holes. The American Bar Association reported some detainees "indicated that they had been instructed not to say anything negative to the delegation about the facility."
(Willacy County Processing Center is under construction in a cotton field outside Raymondville, Texas, circa 2006.Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images)
The facility earned the disparaging moniker "Ritmo" during this time, because it was "like Gitmo, but it's in Raymondville," said immigration lawyer Jodi Goodwin, using the nickname for the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
"The level of human suffering was just unbelievable," a former nurse at the center said in a 2009 testimony before Congress. "There was inadequate food and personal items — personal hygiene was a problem — as was access to medical care."
Subsequent reports exposed even more illegal activity at the detention center. A 2011 documentary found sexual and physical abuse had been a common occurrence at the facility, with female inmates particularly at risk. Former employees said management encouraged its staff to cover up allegations of sexual or physical abuse.