According to several reports, at least 20 immigrant women held at ICE’s Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, California, fainted or vomited after inhaling chemical fumes. The fumes overwhelmed the housing unit of 118 immigrants that included pregnant women and one who had had a recent kidney transplant.
At least 20 immigrant women fainted or vomited because of a chemical used at a Detention center https://t.co/mkaahALAgM
— Adolfo Flores (@aflores) November 12, 2017
UFW Foundation reports indicate that the guards were initially keeping the women inside the cells despite several complaints about the fumes. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman, Lauren Mack, however, said that the detainees got taken to an outdoor recreational area when the chemical fumes odor was reported.
Due to the cold weather, the group had to be moved inside an hour later. Mack said that the housing unit was deemed safe two-and-a-half hours later and that medical staff was on site, but that “there were no serious medical issues resulting from the incident and all of the detainees were returned to the unit.”
A unit with 118 immigrants, including at least one woman who was pregnant, was evacuated briefly because of chemical fumes. pic.twitter.com/fsVlEIu0yA
— Adolfo Flores (@aflores) November 12, 2017
A legal rep with the United Farm Workers Foundation by the name of Luis Guerra, who claims to have been in the facility on Saturday, says he witnessed the women fainting and vomiting. He alleges that ICE is not telling the truth and that the women were denied medical attention, and told to wait until Monday to see a doctor.
“They only moved them out once the guards started coughing, even though the women had been telling them they couldn’t breathe,” Guerra told BuzzFeed News. “It never ceases to amaze me how irresponsible they act.”
https://twitter.com/MarioKoran/status/929807381730549760
The odor that caused all the problems was identified as a floor-stripping agent that was getting used by detainees working janitorial duties near the housing unit’s entrance. The incident is now being investigated by CoreCivic, the private contractor that runs the facility.
“I don’t know why CoreCivic would have someone who is not trained using such a strong chemical. Also, why were they having them clean at midnight?” said Guerra.
The legal rep said does not know the exact number of pregnant women detained inside the facility. He claims that contractors like CoreCivic pay detainees $1 a day to perform labor like janitorial services, but some women complained about not getting paid at all.
https://twitter.com/MarioKoran/status/929808194481750016
Article inspired by The San Diego Union-Tribune // ICE detainee women sickened by chemical fumes