Federal judge orders extensive reforms to Adelanto ICE detention center

A federal judge ordered extensive reforms to the Adelanto ICE processing center after a lawsuit claimed the facility held detainees in "unconstitutional and inhumane conditions."

In their lawsuit, immigrant rights groups said the Southern California facility violated rules for outdoor recreation, family visitation and basic sanitation. The filing received support from the Mexican government after 14 Mexican nationals died while in ICE custody, four of whom were detained at Adelanto. 

In an interview with CBS LA earlier this month, Wilbur Garcia, an 18-year-old teen who was detained at the facility, said that more than once sewage overflowed into their showers and into every cell. 

The preliminary injunction requires federal immigration officials at Adelanto to provide people with clean drinking water and adequate medical care. The court order also mandates that the facility must be cleaned every day and that mold must be removed. 

"These changes will matter," said Angelica Salas, executive director of CHIRLA, one of the groups that filed the lawsuit. "They will protect people's health. They will strengthen their legal cases. They will help families stay connected. They will affirm something that this country often forgets: immigrants are human beings and their lives are not disposable.  

In its response to the ruling, the Department of Homeland Security said, "ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens."

"Any claim that there are subprime conditions at Adelanto ICE processing facility are FALSE," Homeland Security wrote. "All detainees are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers."

DHS claimed the federal judge was "trying to smear our ICE law enforcement" with the ruling.