'Shackled...forced to eat like dogs': Conditions inside Trump's detention centers
What's the story
A recent report by Human Rights Watch has exposed the inhumane conditions at three immigration detention centers in Florida. The 92-page report, titled You Feel Like Your Life is Over: Abusive Practices at Three Florida Immigration Detention Centers details the experiences of 17 immigrants at Krome North Service Processing Center (Krome), Broward Transitional Center (BTC), and Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Miami.
Reported abuses
Report details incidents of violence and abuse
The report details incidents of violence, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions at the centers. One detainee said officers beat them up: "They jumped on them, tied them up, and dragged them out." Another detainee revealed that asking for mental health support led to isolation in solitary confinement: "If you cry, they might take you [to solitary confinement] for two weeks."
Inhumane conditions
Detainees describe eating and toileting conditions
Harpinder Chauhan, a British entrepreneur detained by ICE during an immigration appointment, described the eating conditions at FDC: "We had to bend over and eat off the chairs with our mouths, like dogs." Women at Krome were also subjected to humiliating conditions. They were made to use toilets in full view of men in adjoining cells. An Argentine woman said they begged for showers but were denied due to facility policies.
Health risks
Overcrowding and lack of medical care major issues
The report also highlights overcrowding as a major issue. Detainees were kept for over 24 hours in buses, which became unsanitary due to a lack of access to proper facilities. "The bus became disgusting... the whole bus smelled strongly of feces," one man said. At Broward Transitional Center, medical and psychological care were found lacking with delayed treatments and dismissive staff responses.
Deteriorating standards
Conditions have worsened since Trump's inauguration, report concludes
The report concludes that conditions inside these federal immigration facilities have worsened since Trump's inauguration and his push to increase detentions and deportations. Katie Blankenship, an immigration attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South, said, "The rapid, chaotic, and cruel approach to arresting and locking people up is literally deadly and causing a human rights crisis." She added that this crisis would affect both Florida state communities and the entire country for years to come.