Read the Inspector General Report That Discovered Nooses in an Immigration Detention Jail

Oct 3, 2018
9:49 AM

In case you missed it, you should read the following “Management Alert – Issues Requiring Action at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California” report from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.

Here is one just ONE excerpt:

Nooses Made from Braided Bed Sheets Present Ongoing Safety and Security Risks
ICE standards prohibit detainees from hanging or draping objects from their beds, fixtures, or other furniture. However, in about 15 of the approximately 20 male detainee cells we visited within 4 housing units on the west side, we observed braided bedsheets, referred to as “nooses” by center staff and detainees, hanging from vents (see figure 1). The contract guard escorting us during our visit removed the first noose found in a detainee cell, but stopped after realizing many cells we visited had nooses hanging from the vents. We also heard the guard telling some detainees to take the sheets down.

During our interviews, detainees provided a range of reasons for braiding and hanging bedsheets in the cells. One detainee told us, “I’ve seen a few attempted suicides using the braided sheets by the vents and then the guards laugh at them and call them ‘suicide failures’ once they are back from medical.” Four detainees told us the braided sheets can be easily unfurled to temporarily create privacy within the cell, specifically the bathroom area or individual bunk area. Two detainees reported tying the braided sheets from one bedpost to
another to serve as a clothesline.

Seriously, read it below. Inform yourself. (By the way, ICE is saying that it is fixing all this.)