People held in ‘decrepit’ California ICE facility sue over ‘inhumane’ conditions

Inside the California City ICE detention center, located in the Mojave desert, with detained residents seen peering out of their cells. Photograph: Courtesy of the Prison Law Office

Seven people detained at California’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center have sued the US government, alleging they have been denied essential medications, frequently go hungry and are housed in a “decrepit” facility.

The federal class-action complaint filed against ICE on Wednesday challenges the “inhumane conditions” at the California City detention center, which opened in late August inside a shuttered state prison. The suit alleges “life-threatening” medical neglect, with the plaintiffs saying they have been denied cancer treatment, basic disability accommodations and regular insulin for diabetes.