Allegations of severe mistreatment in U.S. immigration detention centers have come to light, sparking serious concerns about human rights violations. An Arizona migrant advocacy group has submitted a report to the United Nations, claiming that conditions amount to torture.
Produced by the Kino Border Initiative and Loyola University Chicago School of Law, the report is based on testimonies from recent deportees in Nogales, Sonora. Juan Cuellar, KBI’s director of education and advocacy, stated, “Abuses have been going on and are still ongoing to this day in detention centers in the U.S. for immigrants, which is very preoccupying because they go to the level of becoming torture.”
Individuals who have been deported recently recounted instances of overcrowded facilities and both verbal and physical abuse during their time in U.S. immigration detention centers. Cuellar added, “They were being denied food, they were being denied water, they were being denied access to medical attention when it was direly needed.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security refuted these claims, stating that reports of substandard conditions at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers are untrue.
The report’s findings are drawn from interviews and surveys conducted with deportees at Mexico’s “Mexico te Abraza” — or “Mexico Embraces You” — center in Nogales, set up by the Mexican government during President Donald Trump’s administration. These centers aim to process deportees and assist with their transportation to their hometowns.
Testimonies include claims of inadequate access to clean water and food, as well as healthcare while detained in Arizona. These conditions, according to the report, violate international human rights standards.
The United Nations Convention Against Torture, ratified by the United States in 1994, prohibits torture and other cruel treatment. The treaty defines torture as acts causing “severe pain or suffering” by a public official for purposes such as obtaining a confession or punishment.
The KBI report suggests that the harsh conditions in detention centers may be a deliberate strategy to encourage detainees to opt for voluntary departure instead of awaiting immigration proceedings. Cuellar explained, “The fact that the treatment is so bad is a way for them to say: ‘We can make them leave without having to wait for a final decision by a judge, which can take months.’”
Though typically submitted following a request for input, KBI and Loyola University have chosen to send their report to the United Nations independently. Cuellar highlighted the urgency, stating, “This is something that we decided to do unilaterally because the level of abuse is too much.”
The organization aims for their report to equip the United Nations with the necessary tools to initiate their own investigation into the alleged abuses within U.S. immigration detention centers.
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