{"id":218891,"date":"2025-12-17T09:32:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T14:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/?p=218891"},"modified":"2025-12-18T10:39:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:39:59","slug":"inside-an-ice-detention-center-detained-people-describe-severe-medical-neglect-harrowing-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/immigrants-rights\/inside-an-ice-detention-center-detained-people-describe-severe-medical-neglect-harrowing-conditions","title":{"rendered":"Inside an ICE Detention Center: Detained People Describe Severe Medical Neglect, Harrowing Conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"metadata":[1764,1763,1783,1750,2024,1762,1755,1769,2026,1768],"class_list":["post-218891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","metadata-advocacy-news","metadata-context","metadata-general-commentary","metadata-layout","metadata-length","metadata-multimedia","metadata-narrative-frame","metadata-national-affiliate-staff","metadata-standard","metadata-voice"],"acf":{"header_layout":"full-bleed","header_image":218901,"mobile_header_image":218899,"description":"Seven people detail what it\u2019s like to be held in a California immigration detention center. One man who likely has prostate cancer has continuously been denied medication and urgent treatment.","authors":[212948],"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Fernando Viera Reyes, his first concern was deportation. His second: prostate cancer.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s one thing being healthy and going through that, but now there\u2019s no medical attention,\u201d Viera Reyes said. \u201cI talked to guys who had been in detention. One guy said you\u2019re not going to make it. You\u2019re going to suffer.\u201d\r\n\r\nViera Reyes is among seven people detained by ICE who sued the Trump administration<\/a> on November 12 over inhumane conditions at the privately owned California City Detention Facility. The plaintiffs filed their lawsuit with the support of the ACLU, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, Prison Law Office, and Keker Van Nest & Peters as a class action representing all people detained at California City. They cite punishing conditions, enforced isolation, neglect of people with disabilities, denial of access to counsel, and, as in Viera Reyes\u2019 case, the facility\u2019s terrifyingly inadequate medical care. ICE\u2019s neglect of Viera Reyes\u2019s medical condition is so severe that he filed an emergency motion."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"heading","heading":{"":null,"text":"Medical Neglect at ICE Detention Center","anchor":"","sub-heading":"","type":"h2","heading-style":"mark"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"While he was detained in a different California immigration detention center in 2024, Viera Reyes was in agonizing pain, and had blood in his urine and stool. He underwent multiple tests that showed signs of prostate cancer. Viera Reyes has since been in an endless limbo of trying to get a final test: a biopsy to diagnose the cancer, so he can receive prompt treatment.\r\n\r\nDetention administrators failed to get him that biopsy before he was transferred to California City Detention Facility, the largest immigration detention center in the state, in August 2025. Since his transfer, Viera Reyes\u2019 barriers to treatment and painful uncertainty regarding his health have worsened. Not only has ICE thwarted his attempts to get a biopsy, Viera Reyes also cannot access the medication he needs to manage symptoms. He has had difficulty seeing a doctor, let alone a specialist. ICE also did not send his health care records with him when he was transferred from another ICE facility to California City, further delaying his treatment. At this point, he has reason to believe his cancer has spread.\r\n\r\nSince Viera Reyes arrived at California City, his health has gotten worse. He stays in bed more than he used to. It\u2019s difficult for him to use the bathroom without feeling pain and discomfort, especially without medication. Lately, a pulsating feeling has intensified.\r\n\r\n\u201cI was in prison for over 30 years,\u201d Viera Reyes said. \u201cThe conditions at California City are worse.\u201d\r\n\r\nAt least in prison there were fewer barriers to access medical care than he has faced in ICE detention. He was also able to work out, participate in classes and go to church. Now, all he can do to distract himself is watch television. \u201cI always worry. My mind right now is racing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re just stuck and the only thing that works a lot is our mind, the anxiety.\u201d\r\n\r\nBecause the levels in his blood work that indicate illness are escalating, Viera Reyes has advocated constantly for his own wellbeing by putting in multiple emergency requests to see a urologist, but his requests have been ignored. When he reported the pain he was experiencing and asked for medication, the doctor prescribed him Vitamin C. Others told him to buy Tylenol from the commissary."}},{"acf_fc_layout":"heading","heading":{"":null,"text":"ICE Detention Center Violates Immigrants' Rights and Basic Needs","anchor":"","sub-heading":"","type":"h2","heading-style":"mark"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"Despite the egregious medical neglect Viera Reyes is experiencing, his story is just one among the hundreds of people detained at California City. Led by the people detained, the lawsuit unveils the myriad ways that ICE and the Department of Homeland Security fail to accommodate basic human needs for the people in their care. Fernando Gomez Ruiz, another person who is suing ICE alongside Viera Reyes, was repeatedly denied insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. He also has an ulcer on his foot that he was not getting proper treatment for. Another plaintiff, Yuri Alexander Roque Campos, could not get his heart medications, even though he had two emergency room visits as soon as he arrived at the facility. The emergency room doctor told the facility that he urgently needed to see a cardiac specialist within 72 hours. He is still waiting for that specialist appointment three months later.\r\n\r\nPlaintiffs in the lawsuit also cite excessively restrictive and punitive conditions. For example, Gustavo Guevara Alarcon was placed in solitary confinement for asking to finish his shower.\r\n\r\n\u201cSometimes it feels like they\u2019re treating us like prisoners, but we\u2019re not,\u201d Viera Reyes said. \u201cIt\u2019s like they want us to act like prisoners. They want us to be hostile, even for medical reasons, banging on the door and yelling.\u201d\r\n\r\nIn addition to the severely broken medical system at California City, people with disabilities are denied basic accommodations, such as sign language interpreters and wheelchairs. One plaintiff in the lawsuit who is Deaf and only speaks in American Sign Language, Jose Ruiz Canizales, has only interacted with a sign language interpreter by the facility once, via video. It\u2019s made him feel completely isolated. When he tried to communicate with staff, they would often shrug their shoulders, walk away, or laugh at him.\r\n\r\n\u201cSo often what happens in a detention facility behind locked doors and barbed wire is invisible to the public,\u201d said Kyle Virgien, senior staff attorney at the ACLU National Prison Project. \u201cIt's really important that people know what's being done by our government in our name.\u201d"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"heading","heading":{"":null,"text":"Detained People Describe Punitive Treatment and Harsh Conditions","anchor":"","sub-heading":"","type":"h2","heading-style":"mark"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"The facility holds people in small concrete cells the size of a parking space for hours on end without adequate clothing, food, or water. They deny people basic medical care, disability accommodations, and access to their lawyers and loved ones. Sewage bubbles up from the shower drains, and insects crawl up and down the walls of the cells in the decrepit facility. Officers threaten people who speak out against the abusive conditions with violence and solitary confinement, which they use excessively. Temperatures are frigid. Some wear socks on their arms as sleeves to stay warm.\r\n\r\nCalifornia City previously operated as a state prison in the middle of the Mojave Desert managed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. ICE contracted with the for-profit company CoreCivic to re-open the prison as an immigration detention center this year. It can hold up to 2,560 immigrants in the facility. Since its re-opening, it has come under intense criticism, with people detained at California City describing the facility as a \u201ctorture chamber,\u201d and community members expressing outrage over its deplorable conditions. Detained people also have engaged in numerous sit-ins and hunger strikes, including in mid-September, when over 100 people across several housing pods engaged in collective action to demand an end to many of the abuses the lawsuit challenges.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt's important to remember we lawyers have the freedom to bring this lawsuit without facing many personal consequences,\u201d Virgien said. \u201cBut for the people on the inside, they are standing up against the government while they are under complete control of the government. So the fact that they're willing to stand up even though they might face retaliation or harm is just truly impressive. I'm so honored to be able to fight alongside them.\u201d"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"heading","heading":{"":null,"text":"Immigrants Detained Struggle to Maintain Hope in the Face of Deportation and Mistreatment","anchor":"","sub-heading":"","type":"h2","heading-style":"mark"}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"While some have been empowered to fight back, pervasive fear and suffering have driven others to abandon their legal rights and agree to deportation.\r\n\r\nOne man at California City attempted suicide by hanging. He remains anonymous in the lawsuit. Another plaintiff, Sokhean Keo, who was friends with that man, saw his body hanging in the cell. The man survived and was transported to receive medical care. California City staff did not offer mental-health services to the people who had witnessed his suicide attempt. Instead, staff disciplined anyone who had not returned to their cells after the incident, people who remain haunted by the image of their friend\u2019s body hanging in his cell.\r\n\r\nViera Reyes had heard that the man left a note that said he would rather die in America than be deported. \u201cIt triggered something in my mind like, \u2018Wow, he has a point.\u2019 I put myself in his shoes, because I know what\u2019s going to happen to me if I get deported. But you start thinking about your family.\u201d\r\n\r\nAt least two other detained people have attempted suicide, and others believe the number is higher. The desolation and desperation has rattled Viera Reyes. He said he tells other detained people in the facility: \u201cFaith is going to have to be your base. Stand on that and believe that something is going to change,\u201d he said. \u201cI know I\u2019m going through pain and I know they\u2019re not doing what they\u2019re supposed to do, but we have to have determination.\u201d"}}],"featured_cases_section":{"enable_featured_cases":false,"title":"Featured Cases","description":"","featured_cases":null},"action":[148398],"issues":[46529,46531,46537,46324,46525],"related_content_cases":"","related_content_documents":"","related_content_publications":"","related_affiliates":"","content_layout":"standard","theme":"light","drupal_nid":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Seven people sue the California ICE detention center, citing punitive conditions, medical neglect, and more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Immigrants Detained by ICE Sue Immigration Detention Center for Medical Neglect and Other Conditions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Seven people sue the California ICE detention center, citing punitive conditions, medical neglect, and more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/immigrants-rights\/inside-an-ice-detention-center-detained-people-describe-severe-medical-neglect-harrowing-conditions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-17T14:32:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-18T15:39:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ACLU_CADetention_Web_s.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hibah Ansari\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.aclu.org\/live\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ACLU_CADetention_Web_s.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/immigrants-rights\/inside-an-ice-detention-center-detained-people-describe-severe-medical-neglect-harrowing-conditions\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/immigrants-rights\/inside-an-ice-detention-center-detained-people-describe-severe-medical-neglect-harrowing-conditions\",\"name\":\"Immigrants Detained by ICE Sue Immigration Detention Center for Medical Neglect and Other Conditions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-17T14:32:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-18T15:39:59+00:00\",\"description\":\"Seven people sue the California ICE detention center, citing punitive conditions, medical neglect, and more.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/news\/immigrants-rights\/inside-an-ice-detention-center-detained-people-describe-severe-medical-neglect-harrowing-conditions\"]}],\"author\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#\/schema\/person\/hibah-ansari\",\"name\":\"Hibah Ansari\",\"jobTitle\":\"Content Writer & Editor, ACLU\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/bio\/hibah-ansari\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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