California Senator Alex Padilla raised concerns about conditions in immigration detention centers at a spotlight forum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, calling for independent oversight.
He pointed to recent findings that the California City Detention Center, the largest ICE facility in the state, failed to comply with a court order requiring adequate healthcare. Padilla said that even while in custody, every person in detention deserves to be treated with dignity and humanity.
“Their lives have meaning and value, and they retain the fundamental human right, even in custody,” Padilla said at the forum. “As the law clearly says, they deserve access to basic things like food, drinking water, and lifesaving medical care.”
ICE detention levels recently spiked in June. According to recent data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigrants without criminal records make up 74% of the average daily population in California detention centers and 79% nationwide.
Michele Heisler, medical director at Physicians for Human Rights, also testified at the forum. She said the highest death rates were found in the most overcrowded facilities.
“It is not the largest detention facilities that have the highest rates. In fact, it’s the ones that have had a really rapid increase in population,” Heisler said.
The Department of Homeland Security previously provided independent oversight of ICE detention facilities. Michelle Brané, former ombudsman of the Office of Immigration and Detention Ombudsman at DHS, said the office regularly spoke with detainees, visited medical facilities, and reviewed staffing records.
But that oversight ended in May after the office was shut down due to a lack of funding.
Padilla said finding other mechanisms for credible, independent investigations is an urgent need.
In an emailed statement, ICE told KALW: “ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”
