The federal government received 61 complaints in 2023 regarding the conditions in two immigration detention centers in Nevada. One person detained in an immigration detention center in Nevada claimed they were denied medication before suffering a seizure and were left on the floor of their cell without soap, a toilet, or proper toilet paper for three days, according to a federal complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
These complaints led to a federal investigation into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Nevada earlier this year. The Southern Nevada Detention Center in Pahrump received 36 complaints of medical negligence, racial discrimination, and verbal abuse. The Nye County Detention Center faced 25 complaints.
Several complaints highlighted issues with detainees accessing healthcare services – from being ignored by medical staff to a patient receiving an accidental insulin injection. ICE policy requires facilities to provide comprehensive medical and mental health care to non-citizens upon their arrival.
Detainees also complained of verbal abuse, language barriers preventing communication with ICE staff, and systematic denial of access to legal services. The investigations at the facilities will review conditions, staff communication, and medical and mental health care, according to the complaints.
However, there have been no public updates since February when the DHS announced the investigation. ICE officials did not respond to requests for comments. Freedom for Immigrants, an organization that assisted detainees in filing complaints, reported no updates since March.
“There is no real independent oversight of these detention centers that operate as prisons,” said Amanda Diaz, Freedom for Immigrants’ organization director. “The CRCL (DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties) can investigate these complaints on its own, but we see that most are not investigated. It’s as if ICE is investigating ICE.”
Eleven out of 18 complaints were related to lack of medical attention and access to an adequate amount of food and clean water, presenting a significant risk of retaliation for those who speak up.
Language barriers between officials and detainees exacerbate what many describe as a discriminatory and racist environment. In the past year, advocacy groups in Nevada filed complaints alleging mistreatment of detainees by ICE, including medical neglect and denial of adequate legal services.
The monitoring process can be even more complex for private companies like CoreCivic, which manages the Southern Nevada Detention Center and has a profit incentive to keep detainees. CoreCivic, which made $552.2 million in profits from its ICE detention contracts in 2022, conducts internal audits available on its website, indicating compliance with standards at the Southern Nevada Detention Center.
Public officials, including Democratic Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, have repeatedly called for a review of ICE detention centers in Nevada. In September 2020, Cortez Masto visited the Southern Nevada Detention Center after 25 detainees filed a lawsuit over pandemic-related concerns and living conditions.