Migrants Subjected to Mistreatment in U.S. Detention Centers

SadaNews - Human Rights Watch reported yesterday, Monday, that migrants detained in U.S. centers have faced abusive and degrading treatment, criticizing President Donald Trump's campaign against migrants.

 

The international organization highlighted in its 92-page report medical neglect, overcrowding, and "inhumane" detention conditions as the Trump administration intensifies immigration law enforcement in fulfillment of its campaign promises to deport millions.

The co-director of the Crisis, Conflict, and Arms Division at Human Rights Watch, Belkis Wille, stated, "People detained in immigration centers are treated as if they are less than human."

In one case mentioned in the report, restrained detainees were forced to kneel and eat from Styrofoam plates with their hands behind their backs.

One of them was quoted saying, "We had to put the plates on our laps then bend down and eat with our mouths, like dogs."

The report, which focuses on three detention centers in Florida, noted that migrants sleep on concrete floors and use their shoes as pillows.

A detainee reported being denied soap and water to wash his hands for twenty consecutive days, while another complained about being denied his medications, including insulin and an inhaler for asthma.

Some women reported being held in a cell with open toilets that men in adjacent rooms could see.

Human Rights Watch documented the experiences of 17 migrants in its report. The organizations "Americans for Immigrant Justice" and "Sanctuary of the South" also contributed to it.

Florida houses a new detention center nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz," which Trump visited in July, boasting about its harsh conditions.