By BETSY BLANEY
Associated Press Writer
PECOS, Texas — A weekend riot at a federal prison in Texas caused “significant” damage that won’t allow it to resume normal operations, the prison’s operator said Tuesday.
Law enforcement officers and equipment were being moved in and out of the the Reeves County Detention Center on Tuesday.
A group of 8 to 10 officers wearing what appeared to be SWAT gear could be seen entering the prison center about 1:30 p.m. They emerged about 25 minutes later, then re-entered the compound later in the afternoon.
From behind a sheriff’s roadblock limiting access to the prison, a small forklift could be seen entering the compound and garbage trucks left hauling what appeared to be debris.
The GEO Group Inc. said in a statement that inmates in two of the prison’s three units remain under staff view in a central area of the complex. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based company says inmates remain “cooperative and compliant.”
Sidia Molina of Houston, whose husband is being detained for being in the U.S. illegally, said the riot started because the inmates don’t think they are receiving adequate medical care.
“It’s 100 percent what it is,” she said. “It’s not lack of food or clothing. What they’re complaining about is the medical. The people are not getting medical treatment.”
Pablo E. Paez, a spokesman for GEO Group Inc. said in an e-mail Tuesday to The Associated Press that the company does not provide medical services or health care.
Medical services at the prison are provided by a physicians’ association “under a direct contract with the county,” the e-mail stated. Attempts to reach county officials by telephone were unsuccessful Tuesday.
Pecos City Manager Joe Torres said the city provided the prison with two city-owned large trash bins to aid in the cleanup after it was requested.
The city does not oversee any part of the prison operation, which is just outside Pecos, but Torres said he’d like to know what is happening there.
“But I’m not in the loop,” he said. “I really don’t know what they’re up to. If it was my jurisdiction I would be informed.”
The company said the prison is surrounded by a double fence with multiple rows of razor wire and an electronic alarm system. It said the fence is secure and was not damaged, and there have been no serious injuries to staff or inmates.
The two buildings affected by the latest riot house up to 2,200 criminal immigrants. The third unit was the site of a December riot that officials said ended with minor injuries. The GEO Group says the riots appear unrelated.