Immigrant Detainee at Federal Prison Diagnosed With Chicken Pox

By Jeralyn, Section Trump Administration
Posted on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 04:28:23 PM EST
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The Bureau of Prisons has issued an alert. An immigrant detainee at FCI Victorville in California has been diagnosed with the very contagious chicken pox disease.

“Measures are being taken to identify and contain inmate contacts who are at risk for getting chickenpox,” the letter said. It was sent out midday Monday via email to over 800 prison staff members.

.... E-U Housing Unit is one of about 12 units in the medium security facility where ICE has contracted with the Bureau of prisons to house up to 1,000 adult male immigrant detainees.

[More...]

The agreement (between ICE and BOP) was announced June 7, and marks the first time federal prisons were used to house immigrants in the U.S. on a large scale.

An ICE spokesperson said the agency needed space in prisons “due to the current surge in illegal border crossings and implementation of the U.S. Department of Justice's zero-tolerance policy.”

Prison guards are protesting:

On Friday, members of the local prison guard union representing about 650 employees picketed across the street from the Victorville complex, calling attention to low staffing levels they argue could put guards and inmates in danger.

.... In a June 8 blog post, union president John Kostelnik said the agreement to house 1,000 immigration detainees in Victorville “was not properly planned or processed. None of the agency representatives stood up and informed DOJ or ICE that we were not ready to accept this influx of inmates with the current staffing levels.”

Lack of adequate medical care has been a concern of the union for a while. Here's more on their protest.

In addition, 120 immigrant asylum seekers are being held at the federal prison in Sheridan, OR, including 6 who have been separated from their children. Lawyers report they aren't being allowed to meet with them.

Carissa Cutrell, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said generally immigrants apprehended crossing the border illegally are being housed in federal prisons because capacity at immigration detention centers was exhausted by the Trump administration's zero-tolerance policy.

Because the asylum seekers are in a prison, the Bureau of Prisons regulations apply for visits but "ICE is currently ... working to ensure that detainees have appropriate access to their legal representatives."

Federal prisons were designed to hold inmates convicted of criminal offenses, not asylum seekers. At a minimum, they must be afforded access to legal counsel, consular staff, interpreters and adequate medical care. They must be allowed to communicate with their family members.

Jefferson Sessions and Donald Trump and their zero-tolerance policy are to blame for this crisis. This Mass detention of persons not convicted of a criminal offense is an affront to our democracy.

< Trump's Misleading Executive Order on Family Separation | Thursday Open Thread >

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Immigrant Detainee at Federal Prison Diagnosed With Chicken Pox | 7 comments (7 topical)

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Why do i think (none / 0) (#1)
by CaptHowdy on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 05:26:33 PM EST

Trump will find a way to use this at his "rally" tonight

The federal prison at Victorville CA (none / 0) (#2)
by Peter G on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 05:32:12 PM EST

has a particular history of rampant failure to protect against the spread of contagious diseases. The folks I know in the federal criminal defense world also say it is one of the most violent and dangerous of the federal prisons (most are not at all).

If you'd ever been to Victorville, Peter, ... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by Donald from Hawaii on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 06:23:27 PM EST

... you'd know exactly why. Even the tumbleweeds are malevolent beings.

;-D


What about the female camp there? (none / 0) (#4)
by Jeralyn on Thu Jun 21, 2018 at 12:28:44 AM EST

One of my client's was ordered to surrender to the female camp there in mid-July. Needless to say, it was not our choice, nor was BOP's designation in sync with the Judge's recommendation.


: The Victorville complex is on the site ... (none / 0) (#5)
by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Jun 21, 2018 at 10:18:21 PM EST

... of the former George Air Force Base in Adelanto, CA. From what I understand, there's been a problem with understaffing of health care professionals on the medium-security men's side, which opens the door to potential problems because its captive audience - no pun intended -- is an easy mark should some highly contagious flu virus or pestilence strike.
The women's camp at Victorville is supposed to be better than most; it's a low-security facility that was designed for 250 residents but currently houses about 300, so it's a wee bit overcrowded. It's no Club Med, obviously, but residents have privileges not afforded to those incarcerated in other facilities, such as the opportunity to buy makeup, snacks, etc., at the commissary.
Your client has my best wishes. While prison's no fun, her fellow Victorville residents have been deemed low-risk, so hopefully she'll be fine.
Aloha.

no historical memory (none / 0) (#6)
by thomas rogan on Fri Jun 29, 2018 at 08:50:11 PM EST

From Wikipedia:
Chickenpox. Prior to the introduction of the vaccine in 1995 in the United States (released in 1988 in Japan and Korea), there were around 4,000,000 cases per year in the United States, mostly children, with typically 10,500-13,000 hospital admissions (range, 8,000-18,000), and 100-150 deaths each year.

It is VERY contagious and hard to contain, which is why FOUR MILLION kids a year got it living in the cities of the US, not in detention camps. There is about no way to prevent its spread in a congregate living setting. My parents couldn't keep me from getting it from the kid down the street.

When you use the "throw everything that even looks like mud at the wall and hope some of it sticks" approach to try to smear Trump and his policies then people who aren't in your choir won't believe anything you say.

: Yep (none / 0) (#7)
by Yman on Sat Jun 30, 2018 at 08:04:57 AM EST

It is VERY contagious and hard to contain, which is why FOUR MILLION kids a year got it living in the cities of the US, not in detention camps. There is about no way to prevent its spread in a congregate living setting. My parents couldn't keep me from getting it from the kid down the street.

Uhhhmmm ... yeah. That's the point of the post. These people shouldn't be in a "congregate living setting" in the first place.

When you use the "throw everything that even looks like mud at the wall and hope some of it sticks" approach to try to smear Trump and his policies then people who aren't in your choir won't believe anything you say.

Sort of like how no one believes your constant excusing of Trump and how you pretend the mud that Trump himself put on the wall doesn't exist?