CALIFORNIA – The report “Resistance, Retaliation, Repression: Two Years in a California Immigrant Detention Center” was prepared by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and analyzed hundreds of complaints and reports from detained immigrants themselves.
In a statement, the ACLU announced the results of the complaints and claims of people detained in centers belonging to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE).
“Immigrant detention centers across California are plagued by serious and ongoing human rights abuses,” the organization said.
The report released on August 28 by the ACLU of Northern California collects testimonies about the inhumane conditions in which immigrants live inside these facilities. Complaints include dangerous living conditions, medical neglect, harassment, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement abuse and sexual assault.
“It is abundantly clear that the government cannot guarantee that its immigration detention centers meet non-negotiable human rights standards,” said Maricela Sanchez, a researcher with the ACLU of Northern California and author of the report.
While under the jurisdiction of the federal government, the six immigration detention centers in California are owned and operated by private corporations that contract with ICE.
As detailed in many of the complaints assessed, the buildings are unfit for human habitation. Walls are riddled with black mold, ventilation systems spew debris that interferes with people’s breathing, food is often rotten and water is rancid.
Records also show that ICE allows people with chronic illnesses to remain without medical care for months or years. In addition, facility staff frequently leave medication prescriptions unfilled or ignore recommended treatment.
Similarly, ICE allows potentially deadly COVID-19 outbreaks to fester and spread. People who test positive are often left in rooms with others who are not yet infected. And if someone does contract the virus, ICE has refused to provide them with Paxlovid or other medications that would ease symptoms and minimize the danger of serious complications.
ICE COMPLAINT SYSTEM
According to data provided by the immigration agency, only 39 of the 485 complaints were substantiated. In other words, only 8% of the total complaints were resolved in favor of the detained persons, the ACLU statement said.
Immigrants who raise these concerns are told to file a complaint with ICE, who reviews and addresses their complaint. Of the total complaint records filed since 2023, 71% were listed as unfounded or rejected. Nearly 21% were closed, undecided, unknown or had an unclear resolution.
“It is disturbing that the records show that not only are complaints unfairly dismissed, but that people who file them are targeted and end up retaliated against, according to those affected.
They intentionally wake people up throughout the night and place outspoken leaders in solitary confinement for extended periods. Records also show numerous incidents of unnecessary searches that are clearly intended to rape and sexually degrade. When people object, they are told to file a complaint. Many likely do not do so for fear of retaliation, resulting in abuses that go unrecorded.
“I have spent 30 months in the ICE immigration detention center and have participated in multiple hunger strikes and labor strikes. I have firsthand experience and have witnessed a great deal of human rights violations at the Golden State Annex,” said Gustavo Flores Coreas, one of the hunger strike leaders. “After coming off a hunger strike and losing 19 pounds last week, I was placed in a dorm where other people were infected with COVID-19,” the immigrant added.
To learn more about the types of complaints and the ACLU report, please visit this link.
