A new report has exposed widespread human rights violations at nine immigrant detention centers in Louisiana, overseen by the New Orleans immigration and customs enforcement field office (Nola Ice).
According to the report, the detention centers regularly flout Ice's minimum standards of care, as well as state, federal, and international legal obligations. Some of the abuses described by detainees are said to meet the criteria for torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment under international human rights treaties.
(Photo/VCG)
The report, titled Inside the Black Hole: Systemic Human Rights Abuses Against Immigrants Detained and Disappeared in Louisiana, was recently published by a coalition including Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Immigration Services and Legal Advocacy, and the National Immigration Project. The findings stem from a two-year investigation, which began in April 2022 and involved 59 visits to detention facilities and interviews with over 6,000 detainees, including both recently arrived asylum seekers and long-term US residents.
Eight of the detention facilities are privately run, and the report accuses the operators of cutting costs to maximize profits, resulting in understaffing and insufficient food, clothing, and medical care. Detainees are reportedly paid below the minimum wage for their labor and subjected to numerous other forms of mistreatment, including discrimination, lack of language services, severe neglect of basic human needs, and abusive practices.
The report found that 84 percent of detainees were limited English proficiency individuals, and 42 percent spoke languages other than English or Spanish. Despite this, Nola Ice officials are said to refuse to provide important documents, including the National Detainee Handbook, in languages other than English.
Allegations of excessive force are another disturbing aspect of the report. Incidents of tear gas causing detainees to vomit blood, attacks with pepper spray, and the use of shackles to force detainees to leave fingerprints for deportation documents have reportedly occurred with alarming frequency, violating both human and civil rights.
The report also describes the unsanitary conditions in the detention centers. Detainees spoke of pervasive black mold, infestations of bugs and rodents, and a lack of access to hygiene products such as soap, toothbrushes, and feminine hygiene items.
However, since all these detention centers are located in rural areas, the detainees are far from legal aid resources and have severely limited access to due process.
This report adds to a growing body of evidence highlighting systemic abuse in US immigration detention. Previous reports, including those commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, have uncovered similar conditions. These include “negligent” medical care, filthy environments, racist abuse, and the inappropriate use of pepper spray on mentally ill detainees.
The latest report underscores the ongoing failure of the US immigration system to safeguard the rights and dignity of those in its custody.
Reporter | Lydia Liu, Yang Lin (intern)
Editor | Steven Yuen, Nina Huang, James
