Immigration detention centers in US corrupt

United States, January 13: Immigration detention centers in US have been found to be involved in corrupt practices resulting in several deaths in custody, reveals a latest report by a famous news publication, the New York Times.

It was reported that US immigration officials were giving mistreatment to the immigrants at several detention centers and were using their positions to cover up all evidence of such mistreatment meted out to the detainees by them.

The severe form of mistreatment in immigration detention centers had resulted in 107 deaths and was leading to suicide cases as reported by the New York Times. However, all such deaths in custody were unnamed in any public record.

This has been going on despite repeated assurances by Obama administration to make reforms in the immigration detention.

The report by the publication reveals as per the claims by the investigators into such incidents at the detention centers, the suicide by 22-year-old Nery Romero, an immigrant detainee at Bergen County Jail in New Jersey where he was held by US immigration officials, was the result of severe and intolerable pain compelling him to take such a drastic step.

The investigators stated that a medication record was altered by the medical personnel at the detention center in New Jersey to show that Romero was given Motrin. But, it was later found that Motrin was given to the detainee when he had already died. This truth was never revealed to either Romero’s relatives or the general public.

Meanwhile, the relatives of Romero had accused the jail officials of the detention center at New Jersey for not giving the painkiller to Romero for his broken leg.

The paper states that the investigators caution about the risk involved to the lives of several other detainees at the detention centers in violation of the principles of Obama government.

There has been a noteworthy increase in detention of undocumented immigrants in US after 9/11 terror attacks.

After a lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency) revealed that there had been 10 cases of detainee deaths which had, hitherto, remained undisclosed.

A ray of hope lies in the promise of Obama administration to cut back detentions in the coming times.