IAH Secure Adult Detention Center is an immigration detention facility located at 3400 FM 350 South in Livingston that is operated by Management and Training Corporation (MTC). Its two customers are the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service.
ICE detainees have not broken any laws but have come into the country illegally. The detainees being held for the U.S. Marshals Service have committed crimes – predominantly drugs or firearms related – and are waiting for trial. The local facility holds up to 1,000 detainees – all adult males – with security levels of low, medium and high.
“Providing any kind of programing that we can while they’re here, I think it means the world to them,” Alex Sanchez, facility administrator of the IAH Secure Adult Detention Center, said. “It keeps their mind busy. You know, their anxiety, their nervousness, their worries for their families. I mean, I think it means that much to the residents.”
Providing programing opportunities at immigration detention centers can be especially challenging due to the very short stays of the residents. It’s not possible to bring in a class that takes several weeks to complete. So, MTC detention centers have had to get a little creative.
Deneshia Johnson is the recreation supervisor at IAH. She’s the person primarily responsible for providing whatever programing she can. Deneshia ensures there are yoga and other fitness classes, indoor and outdoor recreational opportunities, and anything she can think of that’s practical – including a “mindful minute,” an opportunity for residents to add beautiful décor to the facility by completing a puzzle which is then hung and put on display.
“I think it’s kudos to her to keep pushing those programs, to keep thinking outside the box, to get creative and to implement those small programs that we do have,” Sanchez said.
The population changes weekly and serves many different nationalities. Communication with the detainees is assisted through a translator hotline. The average length of stay is eight days. Sanchez said he tells his detainees, “I get it. This isn’t home. What can I do to make it better?” He said the detainees participate in art contests, health fairs and are given popsicles to mitigate the heat.
He said the detainees are housed in dormitories and the facility has regular contests for cleanest dorms. Those that win are awarded special food items such as a meal from Chick-fil-A or Burger King or a pizza from Little Caesars. He said it helps the staff because the detainees keep their areas clean.
Another part of the programing available at IAH is opportunities available through the chaplaincy, where a variety of religious activities are provided. Jerry Owens is the chaplain.
“We have at any given time anywhere from 50 to 60 different nations represented,” Owens said. “I don’t hesitate to go inside any dorm. In fact, when we got the Reds here – which is high security – when they came in, the day they came in, I went in every dorm, intentionally, to try to develop a little bit of a rapport with them. I know what God’s called me to do, and that’s just to be a comfort, to be a help.”
To assist Owens with the opportunities offered through the chaplaincy, volunteers play a critical role. Charlie Steffler has been volunteering in correctional settings for much of his adult life.
“There is a spirit or, you can just say, an ambiance of positiveness that you just feel that vibe when you walk in, and it makes you feel welcome,” Steffler said. “It’s just a great, uplifting eye opener as you walk through the doors of this [facility].”
“You know, I just would like to thank my staff,” Sanchez said. “They are the backbone of the facility. They’re the heart of the facility. I think all the great work that IAH has done, people’s lives that we’ve changed, you know, it’s all a testament to them.”
MTC operates 22 job corps centers, 23 correctional facilities, 13 prisons, three community release centers, seven detention centers, 19 treatment programs, two outpatient behavioral health programs and one workforce development site.
