A court-appointed monitor has determined that the California City immigration detention facility does not have a dependable system to deliver adequate medical care to detainees, and that it failed to comply with an earlier court order to remedy deficiencies, according to a filed report.
Monitor's findings and method
Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar, the monitor, stated that the facility "lacks a reliable system to consistently provide adequate health care, placing individuals at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm." The assessment draws on a three-day on-site inspection, interviews with more than a dozen facility staff and 40 patients, review of 141 patient medical records, and examination of thousands of pages of documents supplied by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and CoreCivic, the private company that operates the detention center.
Scope of the court-ordered review
A federal judge earlier this year ordered the inquiry and identified eight components that comprise a functional healthcare delivery system in a detention setting. Those components include, among other elements, sufficient healthcare staffing levels, timely and responsive emergency services, and prompt access to prescribed medications. Anandkumar's report concluded that the California City facility was out of compliance with all eight specified areas.
Responses from agencies and operator
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, responded by asserting that no ICE detainees are denied access to medical care. DHS said ICE is regularly audited and inspected by external agencies to ensure compliance with performance-based national detention standards. The department also stated that ICE provides medical care, including access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.
CoreCivic, the private firm running the detention center, said it was reviewing the monitor's report. A company spokesperson was quoted as saying that the health, safety, and well-being of people in CoreCivic's care are of paramount importance. The spokesperson also noted that an on-site ICE officer is tasked with monitoring compliance with applicable ICE detention standards and policies.
Civil rights perspective and broader context
The American Civil Liberties Union characterized the report as the first instance in which a court-appointed neutral party has examined the entire scope of medical care delivery at an ICE detention center. Civil rights advocates have previously criticized ICE's enforcement actions, saying those actions have raised concerns about free-speech and due-process rights and created an unsafe environment for some populations, particularly ethnic minorities who have voiced worries about racial profiling.
Public records cited in the report indicate that roughly 50 people have died while in ICE custody around the country since the current administration took office in January of last year. The monitor's findings and the responses from DHS and CoreCivic set the stage for continued scrutiny of healthcare delivery in detention facilities and potential legal and regulatory follow-up.
Summary
The court-appointed monitor concluded that the California City detention facility failed to maintain a reliable system for providing adequate medical care and was noncompliant with all eight court-specified elements of a functional healthcare system. The review incorporated onsite inspections, interviews, and extensive medical record and document reviews. DHS and CoreCivic contested aspects of the finding, while the ACLU highlighted the review's comprehensive nature.