More than two months after the immigration detention center on Terminal Island temporarily closed for preventive maintenance and 408 detainees were transferred to other facilities, immigration officials said they have no date set for its reopening and are still assessing the repairs necessary.
Meanwhile, immigration judges have approved the government's requests to move the vast majority of the 299 pending cases from San Pedro to other courts around the nation. The changes of venue have frustrated many immigrants and their attorneys, who said the transfers have delayed cases and affected their outcomes.
When the San Pedro Processing Center closed Oct. 22, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said the repair work -- including to a hot water boiler and a fire-suppression system -- would take at least a month.
ICE said at the time that there were no plans to close the center but that they were considering transferring control to a private company because of the high cost of upkeep.
Last week, ICE declined to discuss the future of the center. The agency issued a statement saying: "At this time, ICE is working with engineering and construction professionals to evaluate the extent of the work to be done."
Spokeswoman Virginia Kice said it's important to do a thorough assessment. "If that takes longer than anticipated, we still need to do it right," she said.
The majority of the San Pedro detainees, 230, were moved to Texas, while 132 were sent to Arizona, 26 to Washington and 20 to other facilities in California.
Kice said the agency's goal is to keep court cases moving through the system while contractors evaluate the San Pedro facility. Changes of venue on fewer than 50 cases are still pending, Kice said.
"Our priority is ensuring those detainees get fair and timely hearings," she said.
But immigration attorneys said that is not how it has worked out for many. Some had been appearing before the same judges for months or years and their cases were in the final stages. Now, they are waiting for new court dates with new judges.
"It's pretty grim," said American Civil Liberties Union attorney Nora Preciado, who specializes in immigration detention. "This whole transfer just delays their cases. It just keeps them sitting in detention for no good reason."
Salvadoran immigrant Hugo Bolanos, 32, had a court date set in San Pedro on Oct. 25 but was transferred to Texas three days earlier. That court session was canceled and now he is waiting for a new date in Texas.
