Recent reports of inhumane treatment of immigrants held in U.S. immigration detention centers have been revealed by NPR correspondent Tom Dreisbach following a three-year investigation. Spanning more than 1,600 pages and covering 24 immigration center facilities across the country, these reports document the physical and mental abuse, neglect, and lack of medical and mental health care that many detainees have experienced under the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations.
The reports, written by experts in topics such as health care, mental health, use of force, and environmental security, detail cases of serious neglect, including inmates who were denied medical care after surgery, and those who suffered illegal strip searches and were pepper sprayed despite having mental illnesses.
While the White House hastily delegates responsibility to the Trump Administration, Hoffer, an attorney consulted by Dreisbach, notes that the conditions have not improved since the Joe Biden administration took over. In fact, Hoffer claims that the conditions have only been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the face of mounting evidence and inhumane experiences, the Biden Administration will have to hold itself accountable and take meaningful action to protect the California immigrant communities which are greatly impacted by the current policies. It is no longer enough to simply acknowledge that this is a problem; the Biden Administration needs to take concrete steps to ensure that detainees receive the needed healthcare and safe conditions they deserve.
With information from NPR
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