Group Trump Stranded in Djibouti Getting Sick From Living Conditions

Yahoo

a day ago

Donald Trump's administration is forcing horrible conditions upon a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and a group of immigrant detainees in limbo from a paused deportation to South Sudan.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy blocked the government's imminent removal of a group of immigrants to South Sudan, ruling that immigration authorities had failed to give the detainees the opportunity to challenge their removal there. While Murphy had ruled that the government needed to maintain custody over the detainees, he never said that they could not be returned back to the United States — but the Trump administration has insisted on keeping them at Camp Lemonnier, a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, despite the dire conditions there.
In a court filing Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security's acting Deputy Executive Associate Director Mellissa Harper testified about the poor condition to which the detainees, and the ICE officers charged with guarding them, had been subjected.
Harper said that the group of detainees were being held in a conference room in a converted Conex shipping container, which is 'not equipped or suitable for detention of any length.'
Detainees are subjected to pat-downs before using the restrooms, located 40 yards from the container. Outside of the container, the daily temperature has regularly reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so showers can only happen at night.
Harper said that since first arriving at Camp Lemonnier, things have been rough, considering the nearby burn pit used to dispose of trash and waste, creating a disgusting smoke that lingers in the air. 'Within 72 hours of landing in Djibouti, the officers and detainees began to feel ill,' Harper said. 'The medical staff did not have immediate access to medication necessary to treat their symptoms.'
She lamented the conditions of the ICE officials, who had foregone anti-malaria treatment before arriving in Djibouti, and continue to experience a range of symptoms including coughing, difficulty breathing, fever, and achy joints.
The original team of three ICE officers who escorted the detainees was expanded late last month to a staff of 13, including two ICE officers to help medical staff. The group of ICE officers must share six beds total.
Harper also noted that the ICE officers did not have 'body armor or other gear' that would be useful during a rocket attack from Yemen. It's equally likely that the detainees also lack body gear, but that went unmentioned.
While the detainees may be kept on the base for an indeterminate amount of time, Harper said that relief will soon come to the ICE officers watching them
'Notwithstanding staffing challenges, the current group of ICE officers responsible for administering these duties is expected to be replaced soon,' Harper said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has repeatedly railed against the federal judge's decision to block the deportation, arguing that it puts ICE officers at risk. But in fact, it is their government that has stranded them abroad and endangered their lives.