By Evaristo Lara
Through a preliminary court orderSunshine Sykes, judge of the Central District of California, determined that it is likely that the constitutional rights of detainees are being violated at the ICE Processing Center located in Adelanto, a city located in San Bernardino County, and therefore demanded that the conditions of the site be improved. where four inmates have allegedly died since 2025.
After relatives of foreigners lacking correct status made public alleged mistreatment carried out against people deprived of their liberty in the aforementioned property, several civil organizations chose to advise them with the aim of filing a class action lawsuit.
The decision arose from the deaths of at least four people while detained in Adelanto in ICE custody.
Although the deaths occurred separately from September of last year until a few weeks ago, the opacity with which the information has been handled, and The complaints of an alleged lack of medical care or negligence in caring for the detainees while their correct situation was determined, forced them to go to court in California.
In this way, the court order and the certification of the class action lawsuit against the US Immigration and Retention Service (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), were requested by people represented by Public Counsel, the Coalition for the Human Rights of Immigrants (CHIRLA), the Ravishing Center for Immigrant Advocates (ImmDef) and the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP.
The plaintiffs’ goal is to ensure that the nearly 1,500 people locked up in the detention center receive food, medical care and decent treatment while their situation is determined.
In response, Judge Sunshine Sykes ordered ICE and DHS to immediately take concrete actions to remedy constitutional and legal violations that may be taking place. in order to prevent more people from suffering irreparable damage.
The reported center, located in the California high desert, is operated privately by GEO Community.
The order issued by Judge Sykes establishes several requirements that must be met to avoid sanctions and even the closure of the immigration detention center.
Under that guideline, inmates should be provided with basic necessities such as drinking water, adequate food and sanitation, privacy in bathrooms and showers, appropriate clothing and bedding for temperature, and daily outdoor recreational activities.
Likewise, it is indicated that the facilities must have medical services and spaces adapted for people with disabilities, among other aspects.
“This preliminary injunction is a really valuable step toward accountability. The court has made it clear that the conditions at the Adelanto detention center do not meet the basic standards required by our Constitution. No one, regardless of their immigration status, should be subjected to inhuman treatment or deprived of their fundamental rights,” Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), said in a statement.
Keep reading:
• Health authorities investigate tuberculosis infections in an immigration detention center
• They denounce abuses in detainees who were transferred from Alligator Alcatraz to Miami
• DHS pays millions to buy two of the largest immigration detention centers in California
