When immigrant women and children crossing over into the country illegally first began to be detained by the federal it was supposed to be a long-term, compassionate solution to avert a humanitarian crisis at the border. But in the last year a series of miscalculations, along with opposition from advocates and federal court rulings, have made the policy almost questionable.

The crisis has left the Obama government in a queer paradox, as it is on the lookout for contractors to build and run new detention facilities that shall be specially designed for families to stay in. While it is doing so the realization also dawns on them that the detention facilities may soon be barred and therefore, there will be only empty centers.

The latest nail in the coffin came from a district court judge who lambasted the administration for rushing to build new facilities that did not fully adhere to requirements for detaining children. The judge stated in his order that as the documented statements from hundreds of detained families and children did not match with the rosy details painted by the administration the families should be released as soon as possible.

“It is astonishing that the defendants have enacted a policy requiring such expensive infrastructure without more evidence to show that it would be compliant with an agreement that has been in effect for nearly 20 years,” the judge stated in his order.