Ossoff investigation details alleged medical neglect, poor conditions at ICE detention centers
A U.S. Senate investigation led by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff has uncovered dozens of reports of medical neglect and poor conditions in immigration detention centers nationwide — with detainees denied insulin, left without medical attention for days, and forced to compete for clean water — raising scrutiny about how the government oversees its vast detention system.
The report is the second in a series of inquiries from Ossoff's office examining alleged human rights abuses in the immigration detention system. It builds on an August review that detailed mistreatment of children and pregnant women and draws from more than 500 reports of abuse and neglect collected between Jan. 20 and Aug. 5.
The latest findings document more than 80 credible cases of medical neglect and widespread complaints of inadequate food and water. Senate investigators say that points to systemic failures in federal detention oversight.
Many of the reports of medical neglect and denial of food and water came from facilities in Florida, Texas, and Georgia, the senator's office said.
The report cites accounts from detainees, attorneys, advocates, news reports, and at least one Department of Homeland Security employee, describing delays in medical care that, in some cases, proved life-threatening. One detainee reportedly suffered a heart attack after complaining of chest pain for days without treatment. Others said inhalers and asthma medication were withheld, or that detainees waited weeks for prescriptions to be filled.
A Homeland Security staff member assigned to one detention site told investigators that "ambulances have to come almost every day," according to the report.
Ossoff said the findings reflect a deeper failure of oversight within federal immigration detention.
"The American people demand and deserve secure borders. The American people also believe every human being should be treated with dignity and respect, and where anybody is being denied necessary medical care or necessary nutrition, that should concern us all," Ossoff said in a statement.
The medical reports also detailed how a diabetic detainee went without glucose monitoring or insulin for two days and became delirious before medical attention was given and that it took months for another detainee to receive medication to treat gastrointestinal issues.
The Senate investigation also identified persistent complaints about food and water, including evidence drawn from court filings, depositions, and interviews. Detainees described meals too small for adults, milk that was sometimes expired, and water that smelled foul or appeared to make children sick. At one Texas facility, a teenager said adults were forced to compete with children for bottles of clean water when staff left out only a few at a time.
CBS News Atlanta has reached out to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security for comment about Ossoff's report. The story will be updated if they respond.
The Homeland Security Department had previously criticized Ossoff's first report in August, saying the allegations of detainees being abused were false and accusing him of trying to "score political points."
"ICE detention facilities have higher standards than most U.S. prisons that detain American citizens. All detainees are provided with comprehensive medical care, proper meals, and are given the opportunity to call their family members and attorneys," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at that time. "These false allegations are garbage and are part of the reason ICE agents are now facing an 1,000% increase in assaults against them."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.