Pay to eat…Or starve?
Not much different from the Nazis…Or Chumph Russian Master’s Gulags.
Privatized for-profit immigrant detention centers are a “living nightmare,” investigation shows
A report on corporate detention facilities in the U.S. details how migrants endure abuse, hunger and exploitation
A new investigation provides a chilling glimpse into the nightmarish conditions in privatized, for-profit immigrant detention centers in the U.S. Migrants fleeing violence and poverty, some of whom have unsuccessfully tried to apply for asylum, are forced to eat rotten food and drink contaminated water. They endure arbitrary solitary confinement, have little or no access to medical care and are denied their rights to legal counsel.
Moreover, to make money to afford extra food or phone calls, many detainees have no option but to work for $1 per day. They are ruthlessly exploited by corporations looking to make a profit.
“Overall, the conditions are prison-like,” a detainee stated bluntly.
These are the findings of a new report, titled, “Imprisoned Justice: Inside Two Georgia Immigrant Detention Centers.” The study looks at the detention centers Irwin and Stewart, in southern Georgia, two facilities that have consistently been rated as some of the worst in the country. The report notes both “have a history of human and civil rights violations.”
Stewart is the second largest detention center in the U.S., and Irwin is among the biggest. Stewart is run by the Corrections Corporation of America, with food and phone services outsourced to other for-profit companies. Irwin is run by the corporation LaSalle Corrections.
“Detaining human beings in this civil detention center is a very profitable business,” the report notes. “Detained immigrants at Irwin and Stewart are treated as though they do not have any rights.”
Immigrants from all over the world are held at the facilities. Many migrants have fled violence in Central and South America. Other detainees have come from parts of northern and central Africa, including Nigeria, Somalia and Cameroon, along with China and India.
A 25-year-old Somali refugee, one of the dozens of migrants interviewed for the report, recalled escaping “horrific violence.” He was separated from his family, and his father died, leaving him alone. “I traveled to America for asylum, but I had no idea I would be detained,” the man explained. “I didn’t think they would detain asylum-seekers. I just asked to apply for asylum and I didn’t know I would be imprisoned. I was hospitalized in South Africa because I was tortured. I take medication now for the trauma. But, I have no hope of asylum now.”
Horrific Conditions
The living conditions in these detention centers violate both the international standards of detention and the national detention standards of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the “Imprisoned Justice” report indicates. And their remote locations prevent families and legal counsel from consulting with detained immigrants.
“The list of concerns regarding living conditions is lengthy,” the report notes. The food and water offered to detainees are not hygienic. Food is stale, spoiled or contaminated, and even then not enough of it is served. Any additional food available for purchase is “excessively expensive.”
One migrant recounted, “The food is rancid and I’ve lost seventy pounds since being here. I found a worm in the ground beef once. On top of all of that, the water smells like feces and the showers are covered in mold.”
A Mexican immigrant detained at Irwin observed that “the reason why the facility gives the detainees so little food is so we will have to buy food from the commissary.”
“Everything in the commissary is expensive,” he said, noting he spends $80 per week just on extra food.
Detained immigrants at these for-profit facilities who hope to make some money for food or phone calls have the option of working, but are paid just $1 per day. Their families often have to send money to make sure they can purchase enough food to survive.
An attorney recalled going to a water fountain to get a drink of water at Stewart, and being told by a guard not to drink the water, as it was not safe.
“The shower water is green and anytime I drink any water, I get headaches,” a detained migrant said. “I’ve lost about twenty pounds since I’ve been here.”
Abuse and Isolation
Detained immigrants at Stewart have gone on hunger strike in protest of the conditions. An immigrant from India said he attempted suicide because the conditions were so bad.
Authorities at Stewart put immigrants in solitary confinement as punishment for minor concerns. Detainees with mental health problems are also segregated in lieu of receiving treatment.
“Segregation is like hell. It is total isolation,” recalled an immigrant from Nigeria with mental illness.
“The unhygienic environment and poor living conditions not only take a toll on the detained immigrants’ health, but also have a negative and disturbing impact on the minds of the individuals being held in detention,” the report notes.
It adds, “The lack of adequate access to medical care is alarming.”
A migrant from Nigeria explained, “They are not treating my medical condition. I need to leave to receive surgery. I am in so much pain. I don’t understand why they will not let me leave.”