,
6 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
"Sometimes you never see the sun."
Thousands of immigrants suffer in solitary confinement in U.S. detention centers. nbcnews.to/30APDY0 (1/6)
Thousands of immigrants suffer in solitary confinement in U.S. detention centers. nbcnews.to/30APDY0 (1/6)
Dulce Rivera, a 36-year-old transgender woman from Central America, was locked in solitary at a New Mexico detention center that housed immigrants in the custody of ICE. For 23 hours a day, she remained alone in a cell: "You never know what day it is, what time it is." (2/6) 
After nearly 4 weeks in solitary, she lost her will to live. She fashioned a noose and hanged herself from a ceiling vent — only to be saved by a passing guard.
Rivera was rushed to a hospital. Upon her return, she was labeled a suicide threat and placed back in solitary. (3/6)
Rivera was rushed to a hospital. Upon her return, she was labeled a suicide threat and placed back in solitary. (3/6)
Thousands of others were outlined in a trove of government documents that shed new light on the widespread use of solitary confinement for immigrant detainees in ICE custody under both the Obama and Trump administrations. nbcnews.to/30APDY0 (4/6)
Only half of the cases involved punishment for rule violations. The other half were unrelated to disciplinary concerns — they involve the mentally ill, the disabled or others who were sent to solitary largely for what ICE described as safety reasons. (5/6)
ICE "is firmly committed to the safety and welfare of all those in its custody," a spokesperson says. "Use of restrictive housing in ICE detention facilities is exceedingly rare, but at times necessary, to ensure the safety of staff and individuals." (6/6) #NBCNewsThreads
