ICE detainment facility mismanagement may have resulted in immigrant death

The immigration community in Riverside is very involved in the current happenings regarding immigration in America. Many are highly informed on matters that range from U.S. immigration law changes to more recent issues, such as the controversy around detainment centers.

Immigration detention centers are often held to specific standards that make them livable for the short duration that immigrants must reside in them. However, as one man and his mother discovered, that is not always the case. The 58-year-old man ended up on artificial breathing support after suffering from bronchopneumonia that was reportedly not treated correctly at the detainment facility he was being kept in. It was reported that his stay at the ICE facility was over 100 days long and that there were leaking pipes in the wing he was staying in, along with other health violations.

The man was unconscious the last time his mother visited him, and it was reported that the man passed away one week later. His bronchopneumonia reportedly caused multiple organ failure. It was also reported that the disease spread to his bloodstream, making hospitalization a necessity. Over 130 deaths have been reported since 2003, spotlighting issues in detainment centers and highlighting fears many immigrants have regarding these places.

Though immigrant deaths in detainment centers are not a common occurrence, it has still happened before. Because of the potential risks involved in detainment, if you are facing the possibility of detainment in the future, you may wish to seek the aid of an attorney.

Source: New America Media, “Living in the Shadows: Detention Centers Deaths Raise Immigrant Rights Questions,” Alonso Yáñez, Feb. 19, 2014