Health Crises Grow At Immigrant Detention Centers
Hundreds of detainees and staff are being tested for COVID-19 amid an outbreak at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. And Mexican authorities say they will investigate claims that immigrant detainees were subjected to unwanted gynecological procedures at a rural Georgia hospital.
The Desert Sun:
'I'm Afraid Of Dying Here': COVID-19 Outbreak At Adelanto ICE Detention Center In California Forces Mass Testing
Hundreds of detainees and staff at a federal immigration detention center in California are being tested for COVID-19 amid an outbreak of the highly contagious virus. Saturation testing of detainees at the 1,940-bed Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County was expected to be completed by Sunday, according to Gabriel Valdez, assistant field office director of enforcement and removal operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The facility, owned and operated by private prison company The GEO Group, is one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country. (Plevin, 9/22)
The Desert Sun:
COVID-19 Outbreak At Adelanto Detention Center: What We Know So Far
Hundreds of detainees and staff at the federal immigration detention center in San Bernardino County are being tested for COVID-19 amid an outbreak of the highly contagious virus. Saturation testing of detainees at the 1,940-bed Adelanto ICE Processing Center was expected to be completed by Sunday, according to Gabriel Valdez, assistant field office director of enforcement and removal operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The facility, owned and operated by private prison company The GEO Group, is one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country. (Plevin, 9/21)
Also —
Mexico News Daily:
Mexico Investigates Improper Medical Procedures At US Detention Center
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard announced that Mexico is investigating a whistleblower’s claim that at least six migrant women have been subjected to improper gynecological procedures including hysterectomies while being detained in the United States. Ebrard said that if the allegations of abuse in the complaint filed on behalf of nurse Dawn Wooten are true it would be “unacceptable.” (9/22)
The Washington Post:
Hospital Where Activists Say ICE Detainees Were Subjected To Hysterectomies Says Just Two Were Performed There
A hospital in rural Georgia where a physician has been accused of performing a large number of hysterectomies on immigrant detainees said its records show that just two women in immigration custody have been referred to the hospital for the procedure since 2017. Heath Clark, an attorney for ERH Healthcare, which operates the Irwin County Hospital, said both of the procedures were performed by Mahendra Amin, the physician whom activists have accused of carrying out forced sterilizations on immigrant women in U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement custody. (Miroff, 9/22)
The Washington Post:
Migrant Detention Centers Have A Long History Of Medical Neglect And Abuse
The recent allegation that a doctor has performed hysterectomies on immigrant women at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia has sparked calls for investigation. The disturbing allegation is only the latest case of systemic medical neglect and mistreatment in immigration detention settings. The spread of the novel coronavirus has been particularly devastating for people in migrant detention centers. The difficulty of social distancing within these centers has led to outbreaks at facilities throughout the country — including most recently at an ICE detention center in Adelanto, Calif., where six people have been hospitalized. (Ordaz, 9/18)
