On Wednesday, the Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) hosted a virtual press conference where it shared the latest update about a Friday lawsuit filed by four migrant detainees against the Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC) in Elizabeth, New Jersey. EDC is a private prison run by CoreCivic for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The lawsuit claims that conditions at EDC are creating a COVID-19 hotspot that is threatening the health and lives of detainees.
Besides updates from the legal team about the status of the lawsuit, the press conference also included remarks by individuals who have been in contact with the four plaintiffs, including those were working on the case of plaintiff Héctor García Mendoza, who advocates say is asthmatic. According to the press conference, García Mendoza was suddenly issued an order of deportation after news of the lawsuit was made public but a judge issued a stay of removal on Monday. Nonetheless, lawyers on the press call explained, ICE deported García Mendoza on Tuesday morning, leaving him in Mexico. Nobody knows his whereabouts, and advocates believe this was done in retaliation of filing the lawsuit.
“Mr. García Mendoza, 30, had been detained at EDC since March 2020. He shared a dorm with dozens of other detained men, some of them ill. There was little space among the men, and the living spaces were filthy. An asthma sufferer, Mr. García has experienced chest pain and shortness of breath while detained, but the medical staff have refused him adequate treatment,” a release by IDP said on Wednesday.
Latino Rebels founder Julio Ricardo Varela attended the press conference and shared some highlights via Twitter:
Claims being brought in suit:
1) @ICEgov is violating constitutional rights, lack of due process
2) @ICEgov is not following CDC guidelines
3) Only option to release detained migrants from Elizabeth Detention Center— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Dr Amoah is talking about one of the detainees, who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The plaintiff is detained in EDC. Plaintiff has told Dr Amoah that plaintiff complained of conditions that are exposing him to COVID-19.
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Former detainee describing the conditions and private immigration jail EDC, Elizabeth Detention Center, which is an @ICEgov private immigrant jail run by Core Civic.
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Conditions at EDC private migrant jail feel like "psychosis," former detainee says.
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
About Albert Boampong’s hunger strike.
"Albert had been in hanger strike since last week got a call from the detention center over weekend. Albert is depressed & not willing to eat. One of the nurses told me they were going to take him to the hospital for parenteral feeding.⁰"— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Now we're hearing from advocates of Hector García Mendoza, who was detained at EDC. García Mendoza was being ordered deported immediately as on Monday. The final order of removal happened suddenly, advocates say. García Mendoza is a plaintiff of current class action suit.
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Advocates say that García Mendoza was given a stay of removal on Monday but that even with stay, @ICEgov said that he was deported on Tuesday. García Mendoza's lawyers say he was deported in retaliation to filing a lawsuit. ICE does not know of García Mendoza's whereabouts.
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Advocates of García Mendoza saying that @ICEgov has deported García Mendoza on Tuesday night even though a judge ordered a stay of removal on Monday. García Mendoza is one of 4 plaintiffs who filed a class action lawsuit against migrant jail conditions at EDC in NJ.
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Dr. Keller talking about conditions at EDC, where he says he has visited more than 20 times over the course of 20 years.
"Elizabeth Detention Center is not only dangerous but potentially deadly," Dr. Keller says about how EDC is a perfect storm for COVID-19 outbreak.
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
Dr. Keller, "Unless individuals from Elizabeth are released, and there is no maybe, there will be deaths, there will be suffering."
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
If you want to watch the rest of this press conference, this is the linkhttps://t.co/KILRzVRnSQ
— Julio Ricardo Varela (@julito77) May 20, 2020
