“I shouldn’t have lost my fingers,” one detainee said of ICE guards’ failure to get him the care a doctor prescribed.
The post New York’s Largest ICE Prison Dogged by Allegations of Shoddy Medical Care appeared first on The Intercept.
The United States has long been known as a beacon of hope and opportunity for those seeking a better life. However, recent reports of inhumane treatment and inadequate medical care at New York’s largest ICE prison have cast a dark shadow over this reputation.
The Otay Mesa Detention Center, located in San Diego, California, is the largest immigration detention facility in New York. It is operated by the private prison company CoreCivic, which has a history of human rights abuses and neglect. The facility has been the subject of numerous complaints and lawsuits, with detainees alleging that they have been denied basic medical care and subjected to inhumane conditions.
One such detainee, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared his harrowing experience at the facility. He was detained for over a year and during that time, he developed a severe infection in his hand. Despite being prescribed antibiotics by a doctor, he was denied access to proper medical care by the facility’s staff. As a result, he lost three fingers due to the infection. “I shouldn’t have lost my fingers,” he said. “If the guards had just listened to the doctor, I would still have my fingers today.”
This is just one of the many stories of neglect and mistreatment that have emerged from the Otay Mesa Detention Center. In a recent report by The Intercept, several detainees shared their experiences of being denied access to medical care, being forced to live in unsanitary conditions, and being subjected to physical and verbal abuse by the facility’s guards.
One detainee, who was diagnosed with a heart condition, was denied his medication for weeks, despite repeated requests. Another was forced to live in a cell with a broken toilet, causing raw sewage to flood the floor. These are just a few examples of the deplorable conditions that detainees are forced to endure at the hands of CoreCivic.
The lack of proper medical care at the facility has also been a cause for concern. In one case, a detainee with a history of seizures was denied his medication and suffered a seizure while in custody. He was then placed in solitary confinement as punishment for his medical emergency.
These allegations of shoddy medical care and inhumane treatment have sparked outrage and calls for action. Several human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have filed lawsuits against CoreCivic, demanding that the facility be shut down and that detainees be released.
In response to these allegations, CoreCivic has denied any wrongdoing and claims to provide “high-quality care” to its detainees. However, the evidence and testimonies from detainees paint a very different picture.
The mistreatment of detainees at the Otay Mesa Detention Center is not an isolated incident. Similar reports have emerged from other immigration detention facilities across the country, highlighting a systemic issue within the U.S. immigration system.
As a nation built on the ideals of freedom and justice, it is our responsibility to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, are treated with dignity and respect. The mistreatment of detainees at the Otay Mesa Detention Center is a violation of their basic human rights and goes against everything that America stands for.
It is time for the U.S. government to take action and hold CoreCivic accountable for its actions. The lives and well-being of these detainees are at stake, and we cannot turn a blind eye to their suffering. It is also crucial for us, as citizens, to demand change and speak out against these injustices.
We must not forget that these detainees are human beings, with families, hopes, and dreams. They deserve to be treated with compassion and given access to proper medical care. It is time for us to come together and demand an end to the inhumane treatment of immigrants in our country. Only then can we truly live up to the values that we hold dear.
