California is close to passing legislation that would send health inspectors to ICE-run immigration detention centers due to concerns over poor humanitarian conditions.
It comes after Newsweek exposed cases of medical neglect and inadequate care at the Otay Mesa Detention Center near San Diego.
Senate Bill 1132 passed in the California Senate unanimously in May, and if enacted, it would deploy health inspectors to examine a handful of the privately run federal immigration facilities currently operating in the state.
The legislation is now under consideration in the state assembly, where it is expected to pass before it heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Proponents argue the bill closes a loophole that excludes private detention centers from public health oversight. The legislation is being championed by state senator María Elena Durazo and has faced little resistance from opposing state legislators.
Durazo told KFF Health News: “Unfortunately, our detainees are treated as if they’re not human beings. We don’t want any excuses. We want state and public health officials to go in whenever it’s needed.”
“The federal government contracts with private detention facilities across the country to house immigration detainees,” noted the California Assembly Public Safety Committee in its analysis. “There are currently six private detention facilities operating in California in four counties—San Bernardino County, Kern County, San Diego County, and Imperial County.”
The Ella Baker Center for Human Rights highlighted complaints from detainees about inadequate medical care, with instances of prolonged waits and insufficient dental hygiene supplies.
“While public health oversight laws empower inspections of ‘publicly operated detention facilities and all private work furlough facilities,’ they do not explicitly cover private detention facilities,” the human-rights organization said.
“The goal of SB 1132 is to ensure that county health officials have the ability to enter these facilities when necessary.”
Human rights groups have long called for the government to address concerns about substandard conditions at detention centers.
Jeremy Jong, an attorney at Al Toro Lado, told Newsweek that migrants are subjected to “terrible conditions” at ICE-run open-air detention centers.
“Hundreds and hundreds of asylum seekers are waiting on the side of a mountain in San Diego County in very hot conditions. They’ve provided water tanks at a couple of these sites, but they’re not filled up very often. There are quite a few that don’t have any water.”
Newsweek has contacted ICE, the office of Governor Newsom, and Durazo for comment.
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