Michigan groups urge Congress to order audit of Baldwin ICE facility; DHS disputes claims
Two Michigan advocacy groups are asking Congress to order an independent audit of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement North Lake Processing Center in Baldwin following a reported hunger strike they say is in protest of poor conditions and prolonged detention.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said people have reported to them and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center that they've been denied urgent and routine medical care over the past 10 months.
"This includes life-threatening delays and denials of care, lack of follow-up care after hospitalization, and denial of prescription drugs or requiring payment in order to receive necessary medications," the ACLU said in a written statement. "Some have described witnessing people in severe medical distress or collapsing and having to beg staff, sometimes for hours, to provide medical care."
The two groups are demanding Congress require healthcare experts to conduct an independent medical audit of the Baldwin facility and other detention centers around the country. They're also asking lawmakers to conduct an oversight visit to North Lake and speak with detained individuals, and send a formal inquiry to ICE about the conditions there.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said there is no hunger strike at the Baldwin facility. A spokesperson for the federal agency told CBS News Detroit in a written statement on Saturday, which said, in part, "Any claim that there are subprime conditions at the North Lake facility in Baldwin, Michigan is false. All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries."
The spokesperson added that it's "a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment" a detained individual enters ICE custody.
"This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care," the spokesperson said.
Baldwin is around 85 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, Michigan.