ACLU calls jail's care inadequate

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 14, 2007 | by Elliot Spagat Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- The American Civil Liberties Union sued federal authorities Wednesday, demanding improvements to what it says is grossly inadequate medical care at a large detention facility for immigrants facing deportation.

The lawsuit said detainees at the San Diego Correctional Facility have been routinely subjected to long waits before treatment, denied services and refused medication for chronic illnesses -- sometimes with deadly consequences.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Diego, comes as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement faces heightened scrutiny from some civil liberties and immigration advocates for how it manages its 15 jails, including the one in San Diego.

Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for ICE, declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing the agency's practice of not discussing ongoing litigation.

The lawsuit names 11 detainees as plaintiffs and seeks class action status. It detailed several examples in which it said authorities violated their constitutional rights while in federal custody.

A Ghanian man, Yusif Osman, died of a heart condition in June 2006 after officers waited more than an hour to call 911 as his cellmate pleaded for help, according to the suit.

Medical staff earlier determined Osman's chest pains did not merit treatment and that he probably just ate too much, the lawsuit said.

Another detainee, Francisco Castaneda, suffered pain and bleeding during his time at the jail in 2006, the suit said. He was diagnosed with cancer after his release in February and has undergone three rounds of chemotherapy.

The lawsuit said mental health and dental care at the San Diego jail was "systematically inadequate" and vision care was almost nonexistent.

The facility is managed under contract by the Corrections Corporation of America Inc., which is named in the lawsuit along with ICE director Julie Myers and other Homeland Security officials.

The ACLU sued ICE in January in federal court in San Diego, alleging the San Diego jail was overcrowded. In March, it sued federal officials on behalf of children confined to a former prison in Taylor, Texas, that had been turned into a center for immigrant families awaiting possible deportation.

ICE operates eight of its jails and hires contractors to manage seven, Mack said. The 15 jails hold about 29,500 people on a typical day.