内容摘要：On the edge of the rapidly growing camp for displaced people, an official was drawing lines in the dust. He was marking squares, a hopscotch of future homes for the waiting families. What they would build on the spaces little bigger than a king-sized bed, and where they would find the materials, would be their problem.

On the edge of the rapidly growing camp for displaced people, an official was drawing lines in the dust. He was marking squares, a hopscotch of future homes for the waiting families. What they would build on the spaces little bigger than a king-sized bed, and where they would find the materials, would be their problem.

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ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — Paraguay a few months ago launched an operation to address some of the many problems plaguing its prison system, including internal gang control, but one problem in particular has proven difficult to deal with: overcrowding.The South American nation has 18 prisons with a capacity for almost 10,000 inmates, but the current population exceeds 17,600, according to the latest figures provided by authorities which go until the end of 2023.A country of more than 6 million inhabitants, Paraguay is considered a regional

An Associated Press photographer recently had access to five different prisons — four male facilities and one for women — to see how their inmates live. With the exception of the female detention center, overcrowding was common.Prisoners line up for a jail-provided meal known as “vori-vori” at the Tacumbu prison in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The soup, made of chicken or beef, vegetables, and corn balls stuffed with cheese, is considered the food of the poorest inmates, and those who can afford it prefer to buy other food. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Prisoners line up for a jail-provided meal known as “vori-vori” at the Tacumbu prison in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. The soup, made of chicken or beef, vegetables, and corn balls stuffed with cheese, is considered the food of the poorest inmates, and those who can afford it prefer to buy other food. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Prisoners eat a jail-provided soup known as “vori vori” at the Tacumbu prison in Asuncion, Paraguay, Sunday, July 8, 2024. The soup, made of chicken or beef, vegetables, and corn balls stuffed with cheese, is considered the food of the poorest inmates, and those who can afford to buy other food don’t eat it. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)A woman without legal status in the U.S. listens anxiously as Nora Sandigo, who runs a non-profit dedicated to supporting immigrant families, educates undocumented mothers about their legal rights and options to prepare their families in case a parent were to be detained or deported, Jan. 17, 2025, in Florida City, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

For years, Sandigo has prepared immigrant parents for the worst-case scenario: being separated from their children.Now she goes to those parents instead of having them come to her.

U.S.-born children play near a tree as their mothers, who are in the country illegally, meet with Nora Sandigo, who runs a non-profit dedicated to supporting immigrant families, to learn about their legal rights and options to prepare their families in case a parent were to be detained or deported, Jan. 17, 2025, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)U.S.-born children play near a tree as their mothers, who are in the country illegally, meet with Nora Sandigo, who runs a non-profit dedicated to supporting immigrant families, to learn about their legal rights and options to prepare their families in case a parent were to be detained or deported, Jan. 17, 2025, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)