Hundreds of alleged human rights abuses in immigrant detention, report finds

NBC News

a day ago

A monthslong investigation by the office of Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., compiled hundreds of alleged human rights violations at immigration detention centers, according to a new report about his probe first obtained by NBC News.
The report states that Ossoff's office has 'identified 510 credible reports of human rights abuse' against people in immigration custody. Of these cases, 41 include allegations of physical or sexual abuse, as well as 18 alleged reports of mistreatment of children in custody, both U.S. citizens and noncitizens, and 14 alleged reports of mistreatment of pregnant women.
The report cites a Department of Homeland Security official who anonymously reported to Ossoff's office seeing pregnant women sleeping on floors in overcrowded intake cells. It also stated that a pregnant detainee who spoke with Ossoff's staff described repeatedly requesting medical attention and being told to 'just drink water' instead of getting a checkup. Another detainee at an immigration processing center in Louisiana, who was six months pregnant, told Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., while the congresswoman was visiting the facility that she nearly miscarried twice after being detained, according to a report cited in the investigation.
Another case included in the report came to Ossoff's attention when the partner of a pregnant detainee in Georgia, who had just miscarried, contacted his office asking for help getting information after two days of not hearing from her.
Meredyth Yoon, an immigration attorney and litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, told NBC News she met with the pregnant detainee from Georgia, a 23-year-old Mexican national whose name is being withheld to protect her and her family's privacy.
According to Yoon and the Georgia detainee's partner, who spoke to Ossoff's office, the woman began bleeding heavily about a week after medical staff at the detention center confirmed in mid-March that she was pregnant with what would have been her first child.
The woman was taken to a hospital, where she miscarried. A day later, she was returned to the detention center. After she requested a doctor because she was still in pain, her partner got concerned because he had not heard from her for two days, prompting the call to the senator's office.
According to an immigration case status document obtained by NBC News, the woman received a follow-up medical checkup April 9, 11 days after she miscarried. There, she reported feeling 'pelvic pain' and having 'moderate' bleeding. In the document, an immigration officer said she was receiving medication for her pain and described her medical condition as 'very stable.'
The detainee who miscarried described to Yoon witnessing and experiencing 'horrific' and 'terrible conditions,' the attorney said, including allegations of overcrowding, people forced to sleep on the floor, inadequate access to nutrition and medical care, as well as abusive treatment by the guards, lack of information about their case and limited ability to contact their loved ones and legal support.
Attorneys have reported that their pregnant clients in DHS custody have waited weeks to see a doctor and had their scheduled appointments canceled, according to the investigation.
'Regardless of our views on immigration policy, the American people do not support the abuse of detainees and prisoners...it's more important than ever to shine a light on what's happening behind bars and barbed wire, especially and most shockingly to children,' Ossoff told NBC News in a statement about the investigation.
In response to an NBC News request for comment about the report's allegations, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an email, 'Any claim that there are subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are false.'
According to her, all detainees who are in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody are provided with 'proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members.' She stated that from the moment they arrive at an ICE detention facility, detainees undergo medical, dental and mental health intake screenings, as well as follow-up health assessments and have access to 24-hour emergency care.
'Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE,' McLaughlin said. She said it was 'irresponsible' to report on the allegations from the pregnant detainee in Georgia whose name is being withheld, adding these 'FALSE' claims contribute to the 'demonization' of immigration officers. NBC News has reviewed immigration records to verify the identity and medical status of the Georgia detainee.
According to the report, in at least three instances, children experienced severe medical issues while in detention and were denied adequate medical treatment, the report states.
One of them is a case NBC News first reported in March. An 11-year-old U.S. citizen girl recovering from a rare brain tumor was denied medical care and allegedly kept ' in deplorable conditions' while in immigration custody with her noncitizen parents, according to a civil rights complaint filed by the girl's family.
Another allegation involved a 4-year-old U.S. citizen boy with stage 4 cancer who was removed to Honduras without access to his medicines when immigration authorities deported his mother in April.
Ossoff's office did not send the report to DHS in advance, but had previously inquired about some of the cases in recent oversight letters to DHS.
When speaking to Ossoff's office, attorneys alleged that guards at an immigration processing center in El Paso, Texas, nearly broke a male detainee's wrists after he was slammed against the ground and handcuffed 'for stepping out of line in the dining hall.' They also reported allegations that staff at a Customs and Border Protection facility used 'stress positions' to punish at least seven detainees for 'laughing and conversing.'
At least two 911 calls in March and April from another processing center in California referenced reports of threats and sexual assault. Four other emergency calls reported similar allegations out of a processing center in South Texas, according to a report cited in the investigation.
For the investigation, Ossoff's staff said it interviewed dozens of people including correctional workers, law enforcement officials, attorneys, doctors and nurses, as well as 46 immigration detainees and their families. Cases were also identified through a review of public reports and court records, as well as inspections of six immigration facilities in Texas and Georgia, the report states.
Ossoff's office cited obstruction of congressional oversight by DHS as a factor limiting their ability to visit more sites and interview more detainees, the report states.
DHS did not directly respond to the senator's obstruction allegations when NBC News asked for a response.
Last month, NBC News reported on similar allegations to those in Ossoff's report coming from immigration advocates and detainees held in detention centers across California, Texas, Louisiana, Washington, New Jersey, Florida and New York. They described experiencing hunger, food shortages, sickness and denial of access to attorneys.
DHS has previously denied all allegations of inhumane conditions at immigration detention centers across the nation, as well as food scarcity allegations.