Must-See Photos of CBP’s “Ice Box” Cells at Border

A district court judge in Tucson, AZ unsealed hundreds of photos from Customs and Border Protection related to “las hieleras” — freezing holding cells used on migrants apprehended by CBP along the US-Mexico border. This article on Fusion contains several of the photos, which show dysfunctional water fountains, located immediately above squalid toilets.  The photos were released as part of a lawsuit brought by the American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Law Center, the ACLU of Arizona, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, and Morrison & Foerster LLP.  The article quotes Mary Kenney, senior staff attorney at the American Immigration Council, explaining that they expect more images to be released.

According to the article, the lawsuit brings attention to the testimony of one mother who was placed in a cell: “Carmen was apprehended by Border Patrol crossing the river with her five-month-old daughter Lily. She was placed into a cell with no dry clothes or blankets for her or the baby. Carmen requested something to keep the baby warm since it was so cold in the cell and all she had was wet clothing. The agents refused. By morning Lily was turning blue.”

More information about the lawsuit, Doe v. Johnson, No. 15-00250 (D. Ariz. filed June 8, 2015) is available on this American Immigration Council page.  AIC also has a related FAQ/backgrounder on las hieleras.

-JKoh