Council Files Complaint Against ICE for Medical Neglect of People Sick With COVID-19 in Colorado Facility
Last week, RMIAN, together with the American Immigration Council, Mariposa Legal, and Immigrant Justice Idaho, filed a complaint against ICE documenting the medical neglect of individuals detained at the Aurora ICE Processing Center as COVID-19 numbers continue to rise. The complaint contains declarations of several people detained at Aurora, who describe lack of access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, improper quarantine protocols, medical neglect of individuals who have tested positive or have symptoms, threats of retaliation for speaking out and sharing information, and a systematic failure to protect the health and safety of those in detention.
As one individual, Afuom*, describes “I felt very sick and was having trouble breathing. I was hot and shaking. I asked for emergency medical but was told to submit a [written request]. In my weakened condition, all I could do was lie down in bed. Since this time, I have continued to struggle with breathing. I wake up in the middle of the night unable to catch my breath. I have not received medical treatment for my difficulty breathing.”
The complaint calls for the release of those detained and an investigation into the lack of COVID-19 protections in ICE custody. “Access to medical care is a human right. ICE cannot continue to detain people while failing to provide for their health and safety. We are two years into the pandemic and ICE has shown that it cannot protect those in its care. We stand with our clients and those detained at Aurora and demand their release,” said Colleen Cowgill, pro bono coordinating staff attorney with RMIAN.
