California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Tuesday spoke at the San Francisco Department of Justice to announce the results of vising 10 public and private immigration detention centers in California. It marked the the first time the department has taken an extensive look at the 10 centers. The goal was to provide transparency and shine a light on conditions in the centers. What Mr. Becerra and his team found was detailed in a 147-page report: Some of the noteworthy findings:
— Prolonged periods of confinement without breaks, with some detainees confined in cells for up to 22 hours a day.
— Detainees were held for more than 50 days on average, with the longest stay at a single facility exceeding four years.
— Significant language barriers, compromising medical and legal confidentiality.
— Difficulties with access to medical and mental health care, increasing the risk to detainees of a major medical or mental health incident.
— Obstacles to external communication, limiting detainees’ abilities to contact family or other support systems.
— Barriers to access to legal representation, leaving many detainees to navigate the complexities of immigration law themselves.
If you or a family member are detained at one of these facilities or elsewhere, never hesitate to contact our office to seek out legal alternatives.
