Between April 30 –May 12, we received 38 calls to our National Detention Hotline regarding medical neglect in ICE detention.
Examples of medical neglect, as reported via the #Hotline, and from advocates include:
On May 1, a person detained at the Adelanto Detention Center in #Adelanto, California reported that he had not received insulin to treat his diabetes for over three months.
On May 11, an advocate with @FOMDD305 reported at least two people detained at the Glades County Detention Center had to borrow inhalers from other people to treat their asthma because they did not have access to their own inhalers.
ICE and prison staff are continuing to disregard CDC recommendations.
An April 29 call on our #Hotline reported that 15 people were transferred to Adelanto without being screened. Facility staff there are still not wearing PPE regularly.
Between April 30 – May 12, we received 21 calls to our National Detention Hotline regarding insufficient quantities of soap, sanitizer, and personal hygiene supplies.
Examples of shortages in essential supplies include:
On May 12 we received two calls from two separate facilities - the Torrance County Detention Facility and the Imperial Regional Detention Facility - reporting that soap is not being provided for free and must be purchased in the commissary.
We’ve reported numerous incidents of #COVID19 disrupting food service, particularly at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, which has the highest concentration of reported cases.
Hotline callers report only receiving meager sandwiches each day.
According to a report in @thenation, facility officials at the Jefferson County Downtown Jail in Beaumont, TX serve breakfast at 3:30 AM to keep costs low.
On April 30, a person detained at #Adelanto reported that they were sent to solitary confinement after raising concerns about positive #COVID19 cases at the facility and their inability to practice proper social distancing.
On May 5, a person detained at the Imperial Regional Detention Center in Calexico, CA, reported he was placed in solitary confinement for a month after sending a letter to @GavinNewsom and engaging in a hunger strike in protest of the dangerous conditions there.
📢Now is the time to end New York’s complicity with immigrant detention! 🧵 thread + 📝 statement from 75+ groups on why we need to pass the #DignityNotDetention Act:
COVID-19 exacerbated the dangers of ICE detention, which has *always* been inhumane. 2020 was the deadliest year in detention since ‘05, with 21 deaths - and over 10K COVID cases. #DignityNotDetention
People in ICE detention in New York state have reported lack of PPE & hygienic materials, and the use of solitary confinement as “quarantine” - total lack of basic public health. #DignityNotDetention
1. #DignityNotDetention prohibits NY State government from entering into immigration detention contracts & prohibits them from receiving any payments related to immigration detention.
2. #DignityNotDetention prohibits New York state from renewing any existing immigration detention contracts.
BREAKING: Freedom for Immigrants and 9 partner orgs submitted a civil rights complaint against the Glades County Detention Center in Florida. Link to the full CRCL in comments. freedomforimmigrants.org/news/shut-down…
With 25 testimonies, it details atrocities happening inside Glades, including: ICE’s failures to follow court orders to release individuals; retaliation for protests and public reporting; use of toxic chemical spray in enclosed spaces; hospitalizations, deaths, and disappearances
The complaint demands ICE terminate its contract with Glades County and immediately release all people detained at the facility.
Our National Detention Hotline received a disturbing call from a Black immigrant in an ICE prison who had experienced physical abuse at the hands of the guards.
Hotline volunteers acted quickly to file a civil rights complaint on his behalf.
In an interview, our Director of Visitation Advocacy Strategies, Sofia Casini, highlighted the connection between the abuse of Black immigrants in ICE prison with abuse at the hands of law enforcement.
Casini stated, "Our nation just went through a year of examining the ways people in authority harm Black people while claiming, 'I was at risk. This person was a threat' — people who are Black and unarmed and at their mercy."
The complaint was submitted on behalf of 3 Cameroonian asylum seekers at Winn Correctional Center who were physically assaulted, choked, beaten and handcuffed in attempts to force their signatures.
One of the men has tested positive for COVID and another has been exposed to COVID. All 3 face life-threatening consequences if deported to Cameroon. #FreeThemAll#BlackLivesMatter
This morning, we @ Freedom for Immigrants and @DetentionWatch Network delivered a letter to @POTUS on behalf of 217 groups demanding President Biden address COVID-19 inside immigration detention by releasing everyone within the first 100 days #FreeThemAll
Our organization has documented at least
199 instances of retaliation at 49 detention facilities since the onset of the pandemic, underscoring the systemic nature of this abuse. You can follow our up-to-date COVID-19 reporting at freedomforimmigrants.org/covid19
Throughout the pandemic, the average length of detention has increased–meaning that people are trapped in prolonged detention in these lethal conditions. As a result, FY 2020 was the deadliest year in ICE detention since 2005, with 21 reported deaths, eight due to
COVID.