Thread by @NIJC

BREAKING: We sued Clay County in IN for illegally using $ from its ICE contract for things like raises for county employees & improvements at county facilities. Meanwhile, immigrants suffered in county jail’s inhumane conditions. #CommunitiesNotCages🧵1/ immigrantjustice.org/press-releases…

The four plaintiffs detained in Clay County Jail describe being deprived of adequate medical care, cleaning supplies, clean clothing, working toilets and showers, and sufficient food. 2/ immigrantjustice.org/court_cases/he…

Lawsuit cites public comments by local officials saying more than half the funds from ICE contract last year paid for other county services—violating county’s federal detention contract, which requires $ be used for “housing, safekeeping, & subsistence” of people in detention. 3/

“I don’t want what's happening to me to happen to other people: the neglect w/ medical care, the clothing, & overall living situation is not right. I am stuck here trying to help out the best way I can, & I hope ppl don’t experience this in the future.” -Baijebo Toe, plaintiff 4/

Lawsuit also alleges failing immigration detention inspections system unlawfully evades congressional contracting requirements. Nakamoto Group still does inspections after congressional report called them “useless.” And Clay Cty passed an inspection only months after failing. 5/

Those two inspections coincided with Clay County board’s discussions about expanding the jail to detain more people, which would increase county’s payout from ICE to $7million. Local #CommunitiesNotCages Coalition launched campaign to stop expansion. 6/ facebook.com/cncINcoalition/

“This is an openly acknowledged system for making money off of people’s confinement. And to make matters worse, ICE and the County plan to expand this money grab in the coming years.” -Gregory Cui of @SidleyLaw 7/

“ICE's failure to hold detention facilities accountable for egregiously substandard conditions is not new, and is not unique to Clay County. It is endemic across the ICE detention system.” -Mark Feldman of @NIJC 8/

The Plaintiffs:

Cristhian Herrera Cardenas, 38yo man seeking protection from persecution in Honduras. Lived in US since 2006 with wife & daughter, both US citizens. He hasn’t gotten adequate hygiene supplies or food & lives in a freezing cold cell without outdoor recreation. 9/

Baijebo Toe, 37yo refugee from Liberia who came to the U.S. when he was 9. He hasn’t gotten mental health services despite struggling with depression & asking to see a therapist. His depression is exacerbated by lack of outdoor recreation or even windows. 10/

Maribel Xirum, 46yo Mexican woman who has US citizen kids & lived in US since she was 4. She experienced sexual harassment & terrible medical care. She had intense tooth pain for 3 weeks before being allowed to see a dentist who then had to extract her infected tooth. 11/

Javier Jaimes Jaimes, 32yo Mexican man seeking protection in U.S. & has a young U.S. citizen daughter. He received medicine that seemed different from his prescription, & lives in a crowded cell where a broken toilet went unfixed even after spilling wastewater into his cell. 12/

Read more about the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Clay County, Indiana, the inhumane treatment they experienced in detention, and how the county profited off of their and others’ detention and suffering. #CommunitiesNotCages 13/13 immigrantjustice.org/press-releases…