Congressman Says Detainees Almost Need To Be “Dying” To Get Medical Care In ICE Detention Center
A U.S. Congressman said that people in an immigration detention center have to be practically “on the ground dying” before receiving medical care after touring one during a measles outbreak in Texas.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico, made the comment following a visit to the Camp East Montana detention center in Fort Bliss, Texas.
“The conditions that I saw inside the detention facility today, I believe, are beneath our American values,” Vasquez told KVIA. “And speaking with nearly a dozen detainees inside the facility, it was clear to me that folks in this detention facility are scared of speaking out. They are scared of what might happen to them. They’re scared of punishment from guards inside the facility.”
According to Border Report, Vasquez said that some in the facility expressed worries over access to healthcare. “We heard concerns regarding withholding of medical care. They said you practically have to be down on the ground, dying, choking before you receive medical care,” he said.
Medical care in the facilities has become a significant topic as a measles outbreak has spread throughout the Texas facilities. The outbreak began last month and has spread outside of the detention centers, although the bulk of cases have been among detainees.
Of 175 measles cases reported in Texas this year, 153 are of detainees, according to Texas Health and Human Services.
The Texas Tribune noted that the bulk of cases began at an immigration facility in nearby Hudspeth County. It added that some employees at that facility live in the El Paso area, with local officials confirming the city’s first cases on February 26 with four residents becoming ill. 13 detainees in East Camp Montana had also become ill by then.
The outlet reported that El Paso city officials attempted to gather information to help the city grapple with the measles outbreak, based on emails it obtained.
“We unfortunately are not able to get the detainee vaccination status,” Brandon Rohrig, the city’s health deputy director, wrote in a March 2 email, according to the Texas Tribune. “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and the facilities hardly know who is in and out of their buildings, they don’t share the names of some people with us, and they don’t allow us to speak with detainees.”
East Camp Montana once housed as many as 4,000 detainees, Border Report detailed. Following his tour of East Camp Montana, Vasquez said that number was down to around 820.
