Lawsuit alleges inhumane conditions at Adelanto ICE facility

"Immigration detainees are subjected to mold on walls, contagious diseases, lack of medical care and lack of clean water and food at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, a lawsuit filed Monday against federal officials alleges. Two people detained at the facility have died since October, and attorneys and immigrant rights groups who filed the lawsuit allege conditions at the facility have been deteriorating as the Trump administration continues its efforts to detain and deport thousands of immigrants."

"The conditions "are designed to make people give up their legal cases," said Alvaro M. Huerta, director of litigation and advocacy at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, a nonprofit that provides legal services to immigrants and one of the groups suing the federal agencies. "It is a system built to make people break down." The complaint alleges that the "government's abuses at Adelanto are a core part of its broader scheme to harass, intimidate, punish, and deport immigrants.""

"In the last year, the population at the facility has ballooned from three individuals to nearly 2,000, leading to crowding and worsening conditions, according to the complaint. The population of detained immigrants nationwide surpassed a high of 65,000 in November, according to TRAC, a nonpartisan research organization. At least 73% of those detained at the time had no criminal records, the organization reported."

A federal lawsuit alleges detainees at Adelanto ICE Processing Center face mold on walls, contagious diseases, lack of medical care, and insufficient clean water and food. Two detained people have died since October amid worsening conditions as detentions expand. Facility population rose from three to nearly 2,000 in a year, creating crowding and strain on services. Advocates say conditions are intended to force detainees to abandon legal claims and form part of broader efforts to harass, intimidate, punish, and deport immigrants. Nationwide detention reached about 65,000 in November, with at least 73% having no criminal records.

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