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Immigrant Children Begin School In New Mexico Detention Center

The immigration detention center in Artesia, New Mexico opened this summer and houses women and children, most of whom come from Central America.
Courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The immigration detention center in Artesia, New Mexico opened this summer and houses women and children, most of whom come from Central America.

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Immigrant Children Begin School In New Mexico Detention Center

Immigrant Children Begin School In New Mexico Detention Center

Courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement

The immigration detention center in Artesia, New Mexico opened this summer and houses women and children, most of whom come from Central America.

About 200 immigrant children held in a remote facility in New Mexico began school this week. 

The children are being held at a temporary detention facility in Artesia, which began operating this summer. Children between the ages of 4 and 17 attend school from 8 A.M. to 2 P.M., which includes a lunch break.

Classes include science, math and physical education. They're taught by the Florida-based nonprofit AMIkids, which specializes in schooling youth in juvenile detention.

The Artesia houses close to 500 women and children, most from Central American countries, who entered the country illegally. Some are awaiting court dates, others face deportation. A group of legal organizations is suing the federal government, saying it failed to give due process to immigrants with legitimate asylum claims. A new family detention center is set to open in Texas before the end of the year.

Mónica Ortiz Uribe was a senior field correspondent for the Fronteras Desk from 2010 to 2016.