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Immigrants held at an immigration detention center in Arizona were subject to widespread mistreatment last year, ranging from inadequate medical care to excessive punishment for peacefully protesting lax coronavirus mitigation efforts, an internal government watchdog found.
During a remote inspection of the La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) found violations that jeopardized "the health, safety, and rights" of detainees, according to a report published Thursday. Citing nearly 1,300 grievances from immigrants held at the detention facility, the internal watchdog said detainees depicted "an environment of mistreatment and verbal abuse."
Immigrants held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Eloy, which is run by a for-profit prison company, told inspectors they held peaceful protests in April 2020 because they were concerned that staff was not providing them the necessary protective equipment to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The detention center's staff deployed pepper spray to quell one of the protests on April 13, according to Thursday's report and surveillance footage.
A screenshot of the surveillance footage from April 13 shows several dozen detainees sitting or standing outside their holding cells and inside the common eating area as part of a peaceful protest. Another screenshot from later that day shows at least a dozen facility employees, many equipped with riot shields, aiming handheld pepper spray devices at a smaller group of detainees laying on the floor. The image captures one staffer spraying an immigrant who appears to be trying to stand up.
During a remote inspection of the La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG) found violations that jeopardized "the health, safety, and rights" of detainees, according to a report published Thursday. Citing nearly 1,300 grievances from immigrants held at the detention facility, the internal watchdog said detainees depicted "an environment of mistreatment and verbal abuse."
Immigrants held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Eloy, which is run by a for-profit prison company, told inspectors they held peaceful protests in April 2020 because they were concerned that staff was not providing them the necessary protective equipment to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The detention center's staff deployed pepper spray to quell one of the protests on April 13, according to Thursday's report and surveillance footage.
A screenshot of the surveillance footage from April 13 shows several dozen detainees sitting or standing outside their holding cells and inside the common eating area as part of a peaceful protest. Another screenshot from later that day shows at least a dozen facility employees, many equipped with riot shields, aiming handheld pepper spray devices at a smaller group of detainees laying on the floor. The image captures one staffer spraying an immigrant who appears to be trying to stand up.
DHS watchdog finds widespread mistreatment of immigrants at ICE facility
The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general found that immigrants received poor medical care and excessive punishment for peacefully protesting.
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