Study: Immigrants mistreated at detention center

By Manuel Valdes - Associated Press
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - Web Link
Send this news item to a Friend
Sign-up for Daily News Updates

July 15, 2008

From excessive strip searches and overcrowding to a lack of due process, an immigrant advocacy group alleges detainees are being mistreated at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, which houses illegal aliens in the process of deportation.

The study — released by Seattle-based OneAmerica and the International Human Rights Clinic at Seattle University's law school — the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's operation at the Tacoma detention center is harshly criticized.

The report contains anecdotes in which detainees describe what they call degrading treatment by guards and subpar conditions at the jail.

"Probably the most striking, stark fact is that there's no accountability around conditions and standards, which is only made even more stark when you think of detention as being the fastest-growing form of incarceration in the United States," Pramila Jayapal, executive director of OneAmerica, said Monday.

Immigration officials denied the report's contentions, saying the detention facility complies with industry standards. The Geo Group, the Boca Raton, Fla.-based private contractor that runs the facility, declined comment Monday.

"The information contained in the report has numerous inaccuracies and vague references that could not be corroborated or independently verified," Immigration spokeswoman Lorie Dankers.