Thread: Less-crowded Krome gets a makeover

Less-crowded Krome gets a makeover

BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

Krome's makeover, in effect since January, has drawn positive reviews.

Video at story
DONNA E. NATALE PLANAS/MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Krome, the Cold War missile base turned immigration detention center, after facing years of negative publicity, is now touting millions of dollars in improvements that may help counter its long reputation for dysfunction, crowds and chaos.

A recent tour -- The Miami Herald was the first news outlet to get an upfront view of Krome in three years -- revealed a refurbished center: a spacious new reception area for visiting families, a new medical clinic, large holding and visiting rooms painted turquoise and gray, carpeted courtrooms and uncrowded dormitories with TVs and ping-pong tables.

As for the persistent crowding that prompted a protest by angry immigrants last year when Krome's population neared 1,000: There were 544 detainees at Krome on Dec. 6 -- below this year's average of 629, which is below capacity. (Officials say the goal is 600 but that in an emergency, they can hold up to 2,000.)

The Krome Service Processing Center, which used to resemble an aging barracks, now has a new $21 million building; its upstairs offices are designed in burgundy hues, the courtrooms tucked into a wing below gleam with polished wood.

Gone are the small lobby, the tiny, grimy courtrooms and the overcrowded dormitories jammed with men.

Krome first got into the business of housing immigration refugees during the 1980 Mariel boatlift, when thousand of Cubans lived in tents pitched over muddy fields at the edge of the Everglades. By 1985 the federal government had added dormitories, a cafeteria and a clinic at the site in West Miami-Dade.

Now, in a nation with an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants, Krome is ''the final frontier of immigration enforcement,'' in the words of Michael Rozos, the federal immigration official who runs it.

But unlike the Cubans of 1980, who were welcomed by then-President Carter and eventually released, today Krome's color-coded detainees -- either undocumented immigrants or legal immigrants who are convicted criminals -- face a post-9/11 fast-track to deportation.

Those considered most dangerous, who have been convicted of violent crimes, wear red jumpsuits. Burglars, dope-dealers and the like sport orange. Those in blue have no criminal record, but they are not in the country legally or their papers are not in order.

Rozos has been moving undocumented immigrants who have no criminal records to the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach. He intends for Krome to house only those who have been convicted of aggravated felonies.

Krome's makeover, in effect since January, has drawn positive reviews.

''Before we used to interview our detainees out in the open, sitting on picnic-like tables and benches. It was hot and sometimes it rained,'' said one Latin American official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak about conditions. ``Now, the rooms are climate-controlled and spacious. The detainees have bathrooms and water faucets in those rooms. It's much better.''

The Rev. Dr. Harold Vieux, president of the Conference of Haitian Pastors United in Christ and chairman of the Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board, said he found the facilities more than adequate during a June tour.

Some immigrant rights advocates said facilities may have improved, but detainees' treatment can be spotty.

''While there have been many improvements in the facility itself, and that's a good thing, we continue to hear complaints from detainees about their treatment,'' said Cheryl Little, executive director of Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, who has monitored Krome for years. ``When the facility is overcrowded or there are other serious problems, the media are generally denied access.''

Here's a closer look at Krome latest incarnation:

After a quick right turn off Krome Avenue south of Tamiami Trail and onto a narrow dirt road, detainees arrive in vans through a gated checkpoint. The center is surrounded by barbed-wire fencing.

On a recent Thursday morning, seven bleary-eyed men -- most of them Hispanic -- waited anxiously in a glassed-in holding cell to be assigned a number and sent to living quarters. Their bags were in a hallway outside, with any other belongings already boxed, marked and sealed.

Facing the men were several officers at a long desk with a side view to seven clean, open showers -- one big enough for a wheelchair.

Another holding cell steps away is for those leaving Krome. Some are bound for the planes that leave twice a week for, say, the Mexican border or Guatemala or Honduras. Others may be heading to another detention center; a few may be set free.

The seven men arrived overnight. They might stay for only a few days and -- if they can make a solid case before an immigration judge -- be released until their day in court. Most will be deported after being held weeks or months; a few may be held for more than a year.

Past the open showers and down a long turquoise hallway is a blue door to a guard station and the visitation area: 24 cubicles with glass partitions and phones on each side. Detainees can see and talk to friends and loved ones -- but no touching. On weekends the area is packed.

Guards stand outside eight other rooms where detainees meet face-to-face with their lawyers. Larger groups of men can meet with consular officials in another larger room to discuss their cases or help arrange passage back home. On this particular day, a detainee in red with a tattoo on his neck -- a likely mark of gang membership -- and a goatee sits rigidly in his chair listening to his lawyer.

Another hallway leads to the clinic that resembles a small emergency room where doctors, dentists and assistants rotate in shifts. Each new detainee is checked for contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis.

Krome's health care became an international issue -- and one investigated by Congress -- after the Rev. Joseph Dantica of Haiti fell seriously ill and died here in 2004. Dantica had complained to his attorney that he was not getting his medicine.

Now, Rozos boasts: ``The average person that lives in the state of Florida doesn't receive this level [of medical care] on the initial stages.''

''My 86-year-old mother, when she needs to go to the doctor, calls and she waits three to four weeks to see somebody. This is shift to shift,'' said Rozos, Florida field office director for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

Michael Hornak, a German locked up 15 months ago, said Krome is better now. But Hornak, a diabetic with a heart condition, said in a telephone interview that ailing detainees don't always get adequate medical care.

Hornak, 46, is fighting deportation stemming from a heroin possession conviction. He said his parents were U.S. citizens who adopted him in Germany and brought him to the United States but did not naturalize him.

Cmdr. Eunice Jones-Wills, who runs Krome's clinic, said complaints stem from some detainees' perception of what constitutes adequate medical care. ''It may come from the fact that if the detainee is getting a specific medication on the outside, we may change that medication here because of what we have,'' she said.

Barbara Gonzalez, a Miami ICE spokeswoman, said she could not speak on Hornak's case because he had not given her permission, but that detainees with chronic illnesses are monitored closely.

Past the clinic, a new wing that cares for mentally unstable detainees held six men that day. Empty was the gray rubber room, about 10-foot-square, where men who become violent and can hurt themselves are held until they calm down.

Beyond the new building, at the end of a football-field-long outdoor walkways, are older but refurbished buildings where detainees sleep, play cards and watch TV.

On the way to the dormitories visitors pass basketball and volleyball courts. A soccer field sits behind one set of buildings.

In one standard dormitory, Pod No. 2 has 32 bunk beds. Detainees have 10 round tables with backless seats screwed to the floor where they can play cards or watch a large television that dangles from the ceiling at the room's center.

Kitchen duty or cleaning up the dormitory earns each detainee $1 per day -- the maximum Congress permits. It's enough to buy a candy bar, potato chips and other snacks in vending machines often kept behind iron bars.

Bulletin boards next to eight phones for detainees list phone numbers for consulates -- there are about 100 in South Florida -- along with local churches, mosques and synagogues.

There's also an outdoor barbershop.

Breakfast is served at 6 a.m., lunch at 11 a.m. and dinner at 4 p.m. in a cafeteria decorated with murals painted by detainees, highlighting scenes from their homelands.

As guards led dozens of detainees to the cafeteria on a sunny December day, several asked that a photographer take pictures of them. One fellow with a European accent and a shaved head smiled and shouted, perhaps sarcastically: ``Take a picture of me. We are happy detainees.''

No doubt it's nicer than many criminal, citizens experience.l

a spacious new reception area for visiting families

Hope they check the visiting families' immigration status.

Fill it to over-flowing and keep re-filling it to that level..

Fences make good neighbors.

[b]"Bulletin boards next to eight phones for detainees list phone numbers for consulates -- there are about 100 in South Florida -- "

100 consulates in South Florida?????????????????????????????????

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No other country in the world has a situation like this, where there are so many consulates. - and as in Arkansas, how many paid for by American citizens?
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Here are SOME! (I know it isn't a complete list, because Huckabee's contribution to mexico isn't listed)

Mexican Consulates in the U.S.

Arizona

Douglas
1201 F Avenue, Douglas, AZ 85607
Tel: (520) 364-3142 * Fax: (520) 364-1379

Nogales
571 N. Grand Ave., Nogales, AZ 85621
Tel: (520) 287-2521 * Fax: (520) 287-3175

Phoenix
1990 W. Camelback, Suite 110, Phoenix, AX 85015
Tel: (602) 242-7398 * Fax: 242-2957

Tucson
553 S. Stone Ave., Tuscon, AZ 85701
Tel: (520) 882-5595 * Fax: (520) 882-8959
E-mail: contucmx@mindspring.com

California

Calexico
331 W. Second St., Calexico, CA 92231
Tel: (760) 357-3863 * Fax: (760) 357-6284

Fresno
2409 Merced St., Fresno, CA 93721
Tel: (559) 233-3065 * Fax: (559) 233-4219
E-mail: consulado@consulmexfresno.net

Los Angeles
2401 W. Sixth St., Los Angeles, CA 90057
Tel: (213) 351-6800 * Fax: (213) 389-9249

Oxnard
3151 West Fifth Street E-100, Oxnard, CA 93030
Tel: (805) 984-8732* Fax: (805) 984-8747

Sacramento
1010 8th St., Sacramento, CA 95814
Tel: (916) 441-3287 * Fax: (916) 441-3176
E-mail: consulsac1@quiknet.com

San Diego
1549 India St., San Diego, CA 92101
Tel: (619) 231-8414 * Fax: (619) 231-4802
E-mail: info@consulmexsd.org

San Francisco
532 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA 94105
Tel: (415) 354-1700 * Fax: (415) 495-3971

San Jose
540 North First St., San Jose, CA 95112
Tel: (40 294-3414 * Fax: (40 294-4506

Santa Ana
828 N. Broadway St., Santa Ana, CA 92701-3424
Tel: (714) 835-3069 * Fax: (714) 835-3472

Colorado

Denver
5350 Leetsdale Drive Suite 100., Denver, CO 80246
Tel: (303) 331-1110 * Fax: (303) 331-1872

District of Columbia

Washington (Embassy of Mexico)
1911 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C., 20006
Tel: (202) 736-1000 * Fax: (202) 234-4498
E-mail: consulwas@aol.com

Florida

Miami
5975 S.W. 72nd. Street Miami, Florida 33143
TEL: 786 268 4900 FAX: 786 268 4895
E-mail: info@mexicomiami.org

Orlando
100 W. Washington St., Orlando, FL 32801
Tel: (407) 422-0514 * Fax: (407) 422-9633

Georgia

Atlanta
2600 Apple Valley Rd, Atlanta, GA 30319
Tel: (404) 266-2233 * Fax: (404) 266-2302

Illinois

Chicago
204 S. Ashland Ave. Chicago, IL 60607
Tel: (312) 738-2383 * Fax: 312-491-9072

Massachusetts

Boston
20 Park Plaza, Suite 506, Boston, MA 02116
Tel: (617) 426-4181 * Fax: (617) 695-1957

Michigan

Detroit
645 Griswold Ave. Suite 1700, Detroit, MI 48226
Tel: (313) 964-4515 * Fax: (313) 964-4522

Missouri

Kansas City
1600 Baltimore, Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64108
Tel: (816) 556-0800 * Fax: (816) 556-0900

Nebraska

Omaha
3552 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68131
Tel: (402) 595-1841-44 * Fax: (402) 595-1845

New Mexico

Albuquerque
1610 4th Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Tel: (505) 247-4177 * Fax: (505) 842-9490

New York

New York
27 East 39th. St., New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 217-6400 * Fax: (212) 217-6493

North Carolina

Charlotte
P.O. Box 19627, Charlotte, NC 28219
Tel: (704) 394-2190

Raleigh
336 E. Six Forks Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609
Tel: (919) 754-0046 * Fax: (919) 754-1729

Oregon

Portland
1234 S.W. Morrison, Portland, OR 97205
Tel: (503) 274-1450 * Fax: (503) 274-1540

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia
111 S. Independence Mall E, Suite 310
Bourse Building, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tel: (215) 922-4262/3834 * Fax: (215) 923-7281
Email:buzon@consulmexphila.com
Website:www.sre.gob.mx/filadelfia/

Texas

Austin
200 E. Sixth St., Suite 200, Austin, TX 78701
Tel: (512) 478-2866 * Fax: (512) 478-8008

Brownsville
724 E. Elizabeth St., Brownsville, TX 78520
Tel: (956) 542-4431 * Fax: (956) 542-7267

Corpus Christi
800 N. Shoreline Blvd. Suite 410, North Tower
Corpus Christi, TX 78401
Tel: (512) 882-3375 * Fax: (512) 882-9324

Dallas
8855 N Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75247
Tel: (214) 252-9250 ext. 123 * Fax: (214) 630-3511

Del Rio
300 E. Losoya, Del Rio, TX 78841
Tel: (830) 775-2352 * Fax: (830) 774-6497

Eagle Pass
140 Adams St., Eagle Pass, TX 78852
Tel: (830) 773-9255 * Fax: (830) 773-9397

El Paso
910 E. San Antonio St., El Paso, TX 79901
Tel: (915) 533-3644 * Fax: (915) 532-7163

Houston
4507 San Jacinto St., Houston, TX 77004
Tel: (713) 271-6800 * Fax: (713) 271-3201

Laredo
1612 Farragut St., Laredo, TX 78040
Tel: (956) 723-6369 * Fax: (956) 723-1741

McAllen
600 S. Broadway Ave., McAllen, TX 78501
Tel: (956) 686-0243 * Fax: (956) 686-4901

Midland
511 W. Ohio, Suite 121, Midland, TX 79701
Tel: (915) 687-2334 * Fax: (915) 687-3952

San Antonio
127 Navarro St., San Antonio, TX 78205
Tel: (210) 271-9728 * Fax: (210) 227-7518

Utah

Salt Lake City
230 West 400 South, 2nd Floor, Salt Lake City, Utah 84047
Tel: (801) 521-8502 * Fax: (801) 521-0534

Washington

Seattle
2132 Third Ave., Seattle, WA 98121
Tel: (206) 448-3526 * Fax: (206) 448-4771

I read that part about 100 consuls in south FL--outragious.
There are suppose to be a total of 47 Consuls not counting their Mobile Consuls (Illegal Voter registration on wheels in my opinion)

Besides Arkanasa there is one in Minnesota.

Fences make good neighbors.