Video at link.

RAYMONDVILLE -
A riot at an immigrant detention center in Willacy County kept the city of Raymondville on edge most of Friday.


The riot was the talk of the town. Many Raymondville residents were concerned about the employees at the prison.


Zeke Martinez is a volunteer with the Catholic Diocese. He goes into the prison twice a week to minister to the inmates.


Martinez said he has a good relationship with the prison guards and all the prison staff. He said many of the people working there are locals and they are highly trained.


Martinez said prison staff is very strict, and a riot like Friday was highly unlikely.


“Sometimes I feel safer inside the prison than I do outside. You never know who's going to hit you in the head in the outside,” Martinez said.


Martinez said diocese volunteers were not at the prison when the riot broke out.


A waitress at a local restaurant said her son is a prison guard. He has not been allowed to tell her any information about the riot.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/...ville/31391418

Operator of Immigrant Detention Facility Releases Statement

No incidents overnight


POSTED: 09:20 AM CST Feb 21, 2015

New details in the ongoing confrontation between inmates and staff at the Willacy County Immigrant Detention Facility.


Three to five inmates and two correctional officers are injured.


A statement this morning from MTC, which runs the facility under a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, says law enforcement officials made progress overnight in their dialog with inmates. They also say there were no incidents overnight.


The confrontations began early yesterday morning, when some of the inmates began protesting about the quality of medical care they're receiving inside.


Just after 1 p.m., hundreds of inmates broke free from their lockdown inside the facility, poured out into the recreation yard, and set fire to three of the housing units.


Prison officials say 2,000 inmates were involved in the uprising, but are looking to confirm the exact number.


Dozens of armed federal, state, and local law enforcement showed up to secure the perimeter. Three schools in nearby Raymondville were placed on a soft lockdown.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/...ement/31400448

Video at link on this story:


Sheriff Says All Inmates Accounted For and Negotiations Continue


Patrol units are located around the detention center


POSTED: 11:39 PM CST Feb 20, 2015
UPDATED: 12:09 AM CST Feb 21, 2015

RAYMONDVILLE -
Negotiations continue at a Willacy County Correction Center where a disturbance broke out Friday.


MORE FROM KRGV



Patrol units are located at all four corners of the detention facility.


CHANNEL 5 NEWS spoke with Sheriff Larry Spence and he said law officials are in the process of negotiating with inmates. He expects those negotiations to go on throughout the night.


They want to make sure the rioting that happened earlier does not repeat itself. He also described what happened inside the facility after everything that happened.


Spence said, “It's a little, a little nasty in there okay. They've had access to stuff of that nature. A mop and some brooms, stuff of that nature. But as they are sweeping through, there they are going to clean all that out. Haven't had anything really serious. Rumor is there might be some knives out of the kitchen in possession of someone, but we haven't run across that yet.”


Here is a breakdown of what happened throughout the day.


Early in the morning, some offenders were demonstrating their concerns with the medical services at the center. They were put on lockdown at 12:15 p.m.


CHANNEL 5 NEWS crews arrived 30 minutes later at 12:45pm. At that time, the crew only saw six law enforcement officers.


At 1p.m., several prisoners broke through the housing structures.


At 1:20 p.m., smoke could be seen rising near the housing structures. The offenders set fires inside three of the ten housing units.


Around 2 p.m., more law enforcement agencies arrived accompanied by a DPS helicopter.


Sheriff Spence said all inmates are accounted for and nobody is being held hostage.


Conditions are calm as they continue with negotiations.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/...tinue/31396530