"They are detaining people in inhumane conditions, grossly unsanitary and disgusting conditions," said Marisol Orihuela, a staff attorney at the ACLU. "There are serious violations of due process."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities said they couldn't comment on pending litigation but issued a written statement saying that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has called for a comprehensive review of the nation's immigration practices and is committed to making "measurable, sustainable progress."
The
department
is
"committed
to
providing
secure,
safe
and
humane
treatment
for
all
of
our
detainees,"
the
statement
said.
"We
are
continuing
to
work
with
other
agencies
and
stakeholders
to
improve
services
to
those
in
our
custody."
During
a
tour
of
the
processing
center
last
year,
Eric
Saldana,
Los
Angeles
assistant
field
director,
said
the
agency
does
its
best
to
keep
detainees
there
for
just
12
hours
at a
time
and
quickly
moves
them
to
facilities
designed
for
longer
holding
periods.
Sometimes,
however,
he
said
detainees
are
kept
longer
or
brought
back
for
several
days
because
of
delays
in
accessing
travel
documents
for
deportation
or
limited
space
at
local
jails.
"Our
goal
is
to
get
people
out
of
here
as
quickly
as
possible,"
Saldana
said.
The
processing
center
holds
up
to
250.
There
are
six
large
holding
cells
surrounding
a
central
area
with
desks,
where
the
detainees
are
photographed,
fingerprinted
and
interviewed.
Each
has
a
phone,
a
bathroom
and
a
bench
around
the
edge.
There
are
also
smaller
cells
for
families
or
juveniles.
Saldana
said
detainees
have
access
to
medical
staff
and
can
ask
to
see
a
judge.
There
are
four
named
plaintiffs,
but
Orihuela
said
the
lawsuit
is
on
behalf
of
hundreds
of
detainees.
One
of
the
plaintiffs,
Russian
immigrant
Alla
Suvorova,
25,
said
that
for
two
weeks
she
spent
every
day
at
the
center
and
every
night
at
local
jails.
She
was
not
able
to
get
physical
exercise
during
that
time
and
was
kept
in a
holding
room
where
the
toilet
was
consistently
stopped
up.
"It
was
terrible,"
Suvorova
said
in
an
interview.
"They
didn't
give
us
soap.
They
didn't
let
me
change
clothes.
They
were
transferring
me
from
one
jail
to
another."
Suvorova,
married
to a
U.S.
citizen
but
who
overstayed
her
visa,
said
she
also
was
not
told
whether
she
was
eligible
for
bond.
Yet
when
she
was
transferred
to a
facility
in
Washington
state,
she
was
released
on
bond
at
her
first
hearing.
She
is
still
fighting
her
case.
Another
plaintiff,
Mexican
immigrant
Abelardo
Chavez
Flores,
52,
spent
about
a
month
and
a
half
at
the
center,
being
taken
to
local
jails
most
nights
but
also
sleeping
on
the
floor
on
several
occasions.
According
to
the
lawsuit,
he
was
held
for
18
hours
at a
time
in
dirty
and
overcrowded
rooms,
denied
access
to a
doctor
and
prevented
from
brushing
his
teeth
for
two
weeks.
He
also
wasn't
given
an
opportunity
to
see
his
legal
documents
or
file
an
appeal
on
his
immigration
case.
The
plaintiffs
have
asked
the
court
to
order
immigration
authorities
to
set
a
time
limit
on
detention
or
comply
with
detention
standards,
and
to
provide
hygiene
items,
sanitary
conditions,
adequate
sleeping
facilities
and
access
to
legal
materials.
"We
just
want
them
to
follow
the
minimum
standards
guaranteed
by
the
Constitution
and
the
statutory
rights
the
detainees
have,"
Orihuela
said.
