Spike in Emergency Calls at Midwest’s Largest Immigrant Detention Center
North Lake Processing Center, located about 70 miles north of Grand Rapids in Baldwin, has seen a significant increase in emergency calls as its population has exceeded 1,000 detainees. This facility holds the title of the largest immigrant detention center in the Midwest.
Initially, emergency communications were shaky: callers often struggled with the facility’s address, and there was an incident where an ambulance couldn’t enter due to a missing key. However, familiarity grew over time, with dispatchers quickly recognizing the center’s address and the officers calling in.
Urgent Response to Detainee’s Death
On December 19, a tragic incident occurred when 56-year-old Nenko Gantchev was found unresponsive. Gantchev, a native Bulgarian picked up in Chicago, died later that evening. The exact cause and autopsy details remain undisclosed.
The emergency call, made at 9:16 p.m., prompted both of Lake County’s ambulances to respond immediately. “I have a detainee that is unresponsive, late 50s, male, and they’re doing chest compressions as we speak, or performing CPR,” an officer relayed to the dispatcher. The first medic arrived within three minutes, and shortly after, a request for a medical examiner was made, catching the dispatcher by surprise.
As detailed in an undated detainee death report from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, medical staff identified agonal breathing and cyanosis, swiftly commencing CPR and AED use. Despite rapid intervention, Gantchev was declared dead at 9:54 p.m.
Mental Health Concerns and Suicide Attempts
Many detainees face stressful circumstances, often transferred without bond hearings and far from home. This has led to mental health crises, including several instances of attempted suicide.
On November 22, an emergency call reported a detainee, around 30 years old, on suicide watch after refusing food and medication. “And as far as we can tell, the detainee just collapsed while he was standing in his cell,” an officer explained. Medics arrived quickly, transporting the individual to Corewell Health Reed City Hospital.
Similar calls followed, including a 23-year-old detainee experiencing a mental health crisis. “I’m not sure how he attempted. The only information that our medical staff gave me was that he has been refusing to see medical staff and refusing his psych medications,” reported the officer during the call. The detainee was transported to Munson Healthcare’s Cadillac Hospital.
Frequent Emergency Calls Strain Resources
While most calls involve detainees, staff members have also required emergency assistance. Incidents have included a staff member fainting, another suffering a head injury from a fall, and a pregnant staff member experiencing a seizure.
On December 28, four emergency calls were made in one day. By the third call, a dispatcher joked with an officer about the frequency of EKG-related issues, highlighting the growing familiarity between the two parties due to repeated interactions. GEO Group, responsible for managing North Lake, chose not to comment on the situation.
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