Seven Detainees File Lawsuit over “Inhumane Conditions” at California’s Largest ICE Facility

The class-action suit, filed on November 12, challenges the “inhumane conditions” at the California City detention centre, which opened in late August on the site of a shuttered state prison. The filing describes “life-threatening” medical care: the plaintiffs say they have been denied cancer treatment, basic accommodations for people with disabilities and regular access to insulin.

The facility is operated by the private prison corporation CoreCivic, though the company is not named as a defendant.

For two months, those detained there have been raising public alarms; some have described the place in interviews as a “torture chamber” and “hell on earth.”

California City sits in a remote stretch of the Mojave Desert, about 160km north-east of Los Angeles. The facility has capacity for more than 2,500 people, increasing ICE’s detention capacity in California by 36%. According to lawyers, it currently holds more than 800.

Tricia McLachlan, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, said in an email that claims of “unacceptable conditions” were inaccurate, writing: “No one is being denied appropriate medical care.”

The lawsuit, which alleges constitutional violations, describes conditions in the facility as “extremely harsh”: “Sewage erupts from shower drains, insects crawl along cell walls. People are held for hours in concrete rooms no larger than a parking space.”

The temperature inside is often “freezing,” and those who cannot afford sweatshirts costing about $20 “shiver in their cells; some pull socks over their hands as makeshift sleeves.” Meal portions are “meagre,” leaving those without money for extra food hungry.

Although this is civil detention rather than criminal punishment, California City, lawyers say, “operates far more harshly and punitively than a prison.” Visitors are admitted only through glass; parents cannot touch their children; access to lawyers is “sharply limited,” leaving people confused and almost cut off from the outside world.

McLachlan maintains that detainees receive three meals a day, with menus reviewed by dietitians, and that they have “access to phones to contact family and legal counsel.” She said ICE’s “standards of detention exceed those of most US prisons.”

The lawsuit comes amid expanding ICE raids across the country, bolstered by $45bn in funding to grow the detention system with the capacity to hold more than 100,000 people. Civil suits in multiple states regularly point to problems with detention conditions.

The plaintiffs are represented by the Prison Law Office, the law firm Keker Van Nest and Peters, the American Civil Liberties Union and the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice.

According to the complaint, requests for medical care “go unanswered for weeks or are not addressed at all.” People with disabilities are allegedly denied access to essential equipment, including wheelchairs. One man, whose glasses were confiscated during intake, fell while climbing down from a top bunk because of his poor vision and was hospitalised.

José Ruiz Canizales, a plaintiff with hearing and speech impairments, has been held at California City since August 29 and has managed to communicate with staff via video relay services only once, the lawsuit states. When he tries to communicate, staff members, he says, “shrug, walk away or laugh.” His condition deteriorated to the point that he was hospitalised after a panic attack.

Yuri Alexander Roque Campos, another plaintiff, suffers from a cardiac condition requiring daily monitoring and medication. Since his arrival on September 5, his lawyers say, he has “gone long stretches without receiving his medication,” leading to two emergency hospitalisations due to severe chest pain. Doctors have warned “he could die if it happens again,” yet, according to the suit, he has not seen a cardiologist and still lacks reliable access to his prescriptions.

Sokhin Keo, who previously spoke about a brief hunger strike in protest, witnessed a friend’s suicide attempt and continues to struggle with traumatic memories, his lawyers write.

“I filed this lawsuit to end the suffering and pain I see here,” Keo said in a statement through his attorneys. “ICE is playing with human lives and treating people like trash, like nothing.”

Even when detainees do see a doctor, “the care they receive is dangerously substandard,” the lawsuit states: medical staff fail to document examinations, ignore abnormal test results and do not provide timely treatment.

Fernando Vieira Reyes, transferred to California City in late August, had been awaiting a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis and begin treatment for prostate cancer. His request, however, “went unanswered for weeks,” and he still has not seen a urologist or undergone the necessary tests, the suit says. Lab results and bleeding during urination raise concerns that the cancer may have metastasised, his lawyers add.

Another plaintiff, Fernando Gomez Ruiz—a father of two and a Los Angeles resident for 22 years—was detained by ICE in early October at a food truck near a Home Depot, according to the lawsuit. After his arrival in mid-October, he did not receive regular insulin, causing his blood sugar to spike and leaving him with “a large, oozing ulcer on his foot.” He says he has had to dress the wound “with dirty bandages and blood-soaked shoes,” and fears he may need an amputation.

The Department of Homeland Security did not comment on the medical allegations, but McLachlan said ICE provides “comprehensive medical care from the moment of intake,” including initial medical, dental and mental health screenings within 12 hours of arrival, a full health assessment within 14 days and access to physicians and 24/7 emergency care. She added that ICE “provides necessary accommodations for people with disabilities.”

CoreCivic did not provide an immediate comment. Previously, a company spokesperson said it “takes seriously its role and responsibility to provide high-quality medical care available 24/7” and adheres to standards set by government agencies. Residents have “daily access” to appointment requests, prescribed medications are overseen by medical staff “or by the patients themselves,” and nurses “promptly notify a physician when a prescription needs renewal,” the company has said.

The plaintiffs also accuse staff of “abusive” treatment and “excessive use of force.” According to the lawsuit, on September 29 officers entered the cell of a person held in “administrative segregation” and struck him with shields, even though he was already handcuffed and pinned to the floor with their knees.

On October 3, another plaintiff, Gustavo Guevara Alarcón, claims he witnessed an officer spray pepper spray into the face of a man who did not speak English and turned away because he did not understand an order.

In another incident described in the suit, on October 9 people were shouting for help during a suicide attempt, and one detainee stepped out of his cell to see what was happening. An officer holding a drill allegedly ordered him to “get your ass back inside,” threatening to “put a hole in your chest.” The man was then reportedly disciplined for leaving his cell.

“The punitive conditions in California City are a deliberate choice,” said Tess Borden, a senior attorney at the Prison Law Office. “ICE and the Department of Homeland Security use detention as a tool to pressure immigrants who decide to remain in the United States, and in California City they are demonstrating that approach vividly. Many agree to deportation, and some even attempt suicide, because the conditions here are unbearable.”

McLachlan did not comment on these incidents but said ICE places people in segregation “for their own safety or the safety of others,” stressing: “Ensuring the safety, security and well-being of individuals in our custody is a priority. All ICE facilities undergo regular inspections by external auditors to confirm compliance with national detention standards.”