An investigation led by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., has uncovered 510 credible reports of human rights abuses at immigration detention centers across the country.
The list included 14 credible reports of mistreatment of pregnant women and 18 credible reports of mistreatment of children.
“These detention facilities … are no place for children or pregnant women,” Ossoff said Monday during a news conference to call attention to a report on abuses of immigration detainees released by his office. “It is within our power as citizens to stop this. We can shine a light on it.”
“What is happening now is far worse than what was happening in the first Trump administration,” added pediatrician Dr. Marsha Griffin, cofounder, president and CEO of the nonprofit Community for Children, who appeared with Ossoff on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatricians. “We must end this shameful practice.”
The investigation of immigration detention facilities across 25 states and Puerto Rico, at U.S. military bases, and on chartered deportation flights turned up human rights abuses including deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse, mistreatment of pregnant women and children, inadequate medical care, overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions inadequate food or water, exposure to extreme temperatures, denial of access to attorneys, and family separations.
Griffin said the average length of stay for children held at immigration detention centers is longer than ever.
“No amount of time in detention is safe for a child,” she said. “Even short periods can cause psychiatric harm and long-term physical health problems. … These children are at elevated risk of suicide. Their spirits break.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pushed back at the report’s findings.
“ICE detention facilities have higher standards than most U.S. prisons that detain American citizens,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “All detainees are provided with comprehensive medical care, proper meals, and are given the opportunity to call their family members and attorneys. These false allegations are garbage and are part of the reason ICE agents are now facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them.”
Georgia had the second-highest number of credible reports of physical and sexual abuse of detainees – 13 – below only the 29 reports from Texas, according to the report. The investigation was launched last January to measure reports of abuse since President Donald Trump took office that month.
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Smart news consumers seek truth, not just comfort.
Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
Dave Williams is the Bureau Chief for Capitol Beat News Service. He is a veteran reporter who has reported on Georgia state government and politics since 1999. Before that, he covered Georgia’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.
