Activists request court order over conditions at ICE detention center in Adelanto.
Key Takeaways
- Immigrant advocates filed for an emergency federal injunction to force immediate improvements at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, California.
- The motion, part of a federal class-action lawsuit against ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and DHS (Department of Homeland Security), is backed by more than two dozen sworn detainee statements.
- Affidavits allegedly describe systemic medical neglect, spoiled food, contaminated drinking water, and retaliation—including placement in isolation—for those who complain.
- Advocates say two recent detainee deaths left five children without parents after medical pleas were allegedly ignored.
- The privately operated facility, run by GEO Group, reportedly holds about 2,000 people in civil immigration detention, many without criminal convictions.
Emergency Injunction Sought
Immigrant rights organizations, including Public Counsel, CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights), ImmDef (Immigrant Defenders Law Center), and the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, have asked a federal court for an emergency order to remedy what they describe as inhumane conditions at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. The request, filed within an existing federal class-action suit against ICE and DHS, seeks swift, concrete improvements to protect people in custody from further irreparable harm.
Allegations and Sworn Accounts
The filing attaches more than two dozen affidavits from current and former detainees, offering what advocates call the most detailed public account to date of daily life inside Adelanto. According to the declarations, detainees with serious medical needs allegedly went weeks without medication or care; food was described as rotten and inedible; potable water was reportedly contaminated; and those who spoke out faced reprisals, including isolation. Advocates also allege that, in the last two weeks, five children lost their parents—identified as Alberto Gutiérrez Reyes and Irvin Cruz Nape—after ICE officers at Adelanto purportedly ignored urgent medical requests. Rebecca Brown of Public Counsel said the evidence shows “catastrophic failures” that demand court intervention.
Legal Context and What Could Change
The request is for a preliminary injunction—an emergency court order that can require immediate action while a case proceeds—within a class-action lawsuit that seeks relief for all detained at Adelanto, not just individual plaintiffs. Because immigration detention is civil, not criminal, many people held at the facility have no criminal convictions but remain in custody while their immigration cases move forward. If granted, the injunction could compel rapid improvements in medical staffing and treatment, sanitation, safe food and water, limits on segregation, and protections against retaliation. For people currently detained, that could mean faster access to care, safer living conditions, and clearer grievance procedures while their asylum, bond, or removal cases continue before immigration courts.
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