By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Nooses in detainee cells, inadequate medical care, unreported security incidents, moldy and dilapidated bathrooms, rotting food and overly restrictive segregation were among the findings at immigration detention facilities.
Homeland Security’s internal watchdog made the discoveries during unannounced visits to four facilities in California, Colorado, Louisiana and New Jersey between May 2018 and November 2018, according to a report published by the Office of Inspector General on Thursday.
The discoveries raise serious questions about how the Trump administration is handling the dramatic increase in Central American migrants crossing the border.
Just last month, Border Patrol agents apprehended 132,887 migrants. It was the first time the apprehensions topped 100,000 since April 2007.
“All ICE detainees are held in civil, not criminal custody, which is not supposed to be punitive,” the reported stated.
According to the report, the unannounced visits uncovered “immediate risks and egregious violations of detention standards at the Adelanto and Essex facilities.”
“Overall, our inspections of the four detention facilities revealed violations of ICE’s detention standards and raised concerns about the environment in which detainees are held,” the report states. “Although the conditions varied among the facilities and not every problem was present at each, our observations, interviews with detainees and staff, and reviews of documents revealed several persistent issues.”
