Pennsylvania’s independently elected fiscal watchdog said Dec. 11 that his staff was repeatedly refused a tour of a Berks County facility that is one of three family detention centers in the United States that hold children and parents who are seeking asylum or entered the country illegally.

Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat who is running for Congress, nevertheless said the federal government should stop the long-term detention of asylum seekers, and he urged Berks County to reconsider whether it wants to profit from the practice.