Thread: Immigration centers fail health checks

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16479091.htm

Posted on Wed, Jan. 17, 2007

Immigration centers fail health checks
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Authorities failed to maintain adequate health and safety standards for some of the suspected illegal immigrants housed at five detention centers, according to an audit report by the Homeland Security department's inspector general.

The report released Tuesday found health care violations at four of the five sites inspected and environmental health and safety concerns at three of the five.

It found noncompliance with "general conditions" of confinement at all five, "including disciplinary policy, classifying detainees and housing together detainees classified at different security levels."

The report said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials failed to provide non-emergency medical care for some inmates in a timely matter and sometimes improperly limited access to relatives, lawyers and immigration authorities.

For example, it found that eight inmates did not receive the required medical screening among 101 files examined to check on that requirement at one facility and that another sampling found 15 of 111 inmates did not receive the fuller physical examination prescribed by department guidelines.

One safety complaint documented in the report involved excessively hot water at a shower when nearby toilets were flushed. It said the problem was corrected within a week by replacement of a mixing valve.

Another addressed whether top bunk beds had adequate ladders and railings to keep inmates from falling out of bed and whether "hot" food was served cold.

It also said authorities failed to establish an adequate system for reporting abuse and violated their own rules by neglecting to monitor prisoners on hunger strikes or suicide watches.

In a written response to the report, DHS Assistant Secretary Julie L. Myers concurred partly with nine of 13 findings and promised changes. But she said they "do not indicate any systemic failure" at nearly 400 facilities where ICE is authorized to house as many as 27,500 people a night.

The IG report acknowledged that it's audit did not represent a scientific sampling and that the spot findings could not be interpolated to the entire inmate population.

The audit examined the U.S.-owned and operated Krome Service Processing Center in Miami, a contract Corrections Corporation of American facility in San Diego, and local jails and prisons in Berks County, Pa., and Hudson and Passaic counties, N.J.

Critics complained the report ignored the most serious allegations of abuse, which they maintain included physical beatings.

"It took two years for them to come out with this? It's incredibly disappointing," Judy Rabinovitz, a lawyer with the ACLU immigrants rights project, told The Washington Post.

Eric Lerner, a spokesman for the New Jersey Civil Rights Defense Committee, told the Post the report was a "whitewash."

One question and how would their facilities treat us? My guess is that it would be alot worse. Those people had a legitimate complaint about the hot water though.
They complain about everything while in there and the Krome Detention Center in Miami Dade County gets them all the time. I have read about those copmplaints in the Miami Herald.

the best solution is deport these people quicker, like immediately! we hear how these poor people are dying in our deserts while breaking our immigration laws, then we get sued for not giving them 5 star service at the detentions centers when these criminals are caught! face it we can't win... deport them!

You are right, deport them immediately. That is the only way to do it. Before Christmas there was an article in the Maimi Herald how the Haitians and Jamacians at the Krome Detention Center wanted to be deported quicker. Their excuse was that they wanted to be with their families at Christmas. They also couldn't stand to be with the other non English speakers.

I don't know why theose in the center are complaining. Have you seen the way most of these illegals live?? I'm sure those running the place wanted them to feel "at home".

Very true AngryTX. They are just being hippocrites as it is okay for them to live like that but if they have the same overcrowded conditions by the government they complain. At least the government living conditions are more sanitary.

One safety complaint documented in the report involved excessively hot water at a shower when nearby toilets were flushed.

This happens where I live, too. ACLU where are you?

Good point. I never thought of that.

when i'm in the shower and my husband 'needs' to shave.... oh please where is the aclu when you need them?