Deaths in ICE Detention Facilities

From Immigration Justice Campaign:

Earlier this month, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the death of 61-year-old Salvatore Vargas at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA.   Deaths in ICE custody are far too common. But in its official statement, ICE claimed that deaths in ICE custody are “exceedingly rare.”   In fact, the disturbing numbers of deaths that happen on ICE’s watch don’t even tell the whole story. ICE regularly releases people from custody in critical condition, so they don’t need to count these individuals in official reports when they die. In one case, a transgender asylum seeker in New Mexico was given release documents to sign while in a hospital bed after ICE had denied her medical care for several weeks.   Medical neglect is common in detention centers, particularly those with high death rates. And we’ve seen abuse, solitary confinement, and horrific conditions throughout the system.   The tragic death of Salvatore Vargas is more evidence of a system that cannot be repaired—where the cost of a mistake in immigration court could be your life. And yet shamefully, access to counsel is not guaranteed.   Rebekah Wolf has more on the Immigration Impact blog. Click here to read her article about deaths in ICE custody.  bh