The details of what life is like inside the Aurora GEO ICE immigration detention center speak for themselves.
The inmates, few of whom are accused of any crime and even have no criminal history, are virtual slaves at this for-profit prison.
They’re forced to clean and run the facility for $1 a day.
Rations are few and when they’re available, they’re formidable, inmates say.
One detainee reported receiving a lunch of small scoops of beans and corn, a few pieces of lettuce, half a slice of bread and what he described as “a baby’s spoon sized serving of something unidentifiable.”
Another said he had not seen fresh fruits or vegetables in eight months. Nearly a quarter of respondents reported being regularly hungry.
GEO Group, a Florida based company that operates the Aurora jail and others like it across the country, have created a concentration camp where inmates must beg friends and family for money to hand over to GEO for food and phone privileges.
Vending machines dispense a cup of ramen noodles for $3, or some instant rice for $13 or canned chicken for $17.
These details are only the latest sordid stories coming from the dismal prison, which has been the bane of local rescuers, police, health officials and human rights activists for years.
The report, released last week by American Friends Service Committee, Housekeys Action Network Denver, Casa de Paz and Aurora Unidos, paints a grim picture of abuse of inmates and a community that cannot look away.
A nation based on the rule of law can’t outsource human confinement to corporations whose first duty is to shareholders.
That’s exactly what the United States continues to do at the Aurora GEO ICE immigration detention center, where more than 1,000 immigrants await the processing of their cases inside a facility that clearly is unsuitable for humans.
The report, like others, points out that people inside the facility routinely go hungry, struggle to receive medical care and live under conditions that resemble an internment camp more than a lawful holding facility.
Congress must end the federal government’s reliance on for-profit companies to operate this Aurora detention center and others like it.
The evidence is overwhelming.
Jennifer Piper of the American Friends Service Committee described detainees pooling scarce commissary items to help ease hunger. But those without outside financial support often go without.
The problems extend far beyond food.
The report documents dozens of medical complaints. There are detainees reporting chest pain, severe headaches, vomiting and other serious symptoms but receiving “an Advil” and minimal, inadequate treatment. Some reported being denied prescription medication altogether.
In one case described in the report, a man collapsed and vomited after being given medication by a nurse. Only after being taken to a hospital was he diagnosed with kidney stones.
There are also complaints of harsh living conditions with cold air blowing constantly, lights left on through the night, and televisions blaring throughout the day.
Sleep deprivation, hunger and untreated illness are not mere inconveniences. They are hallmarks of confinement systems designed for cruelty rather than human dignity.
None of this is surprising or new.
For years, Aurora Rep. Jason Crow and other Colorado members of Congress have repeatedly inspected the Aurora facility and warned of deeply troubling conditions inside.
Crow and his staff have documented complaints from detainees and pushed for transparency about operations at the center. He is a plaintiff in litigation challenging policies that limit unannounced congressional visits to immigration detention facilities.
Those actions alone are red flags. When members of Congress must sue the government simply to see what is happening inside a federal detention center, accountability has already broken down.
The GEO Group dismisses these concerns, arguing that its facilities meet standards and are monitored by the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
Years of detainee complaints, advocacy reports and congressional inquiries tell a story of systemic neglect, mistreatment and, in some cases, death.
Oversight by ICE and DHS cannot be taken at face value when those very agencies are responsible for their own ghastly and lawless behavior.
At best, agencies that write the contracts, approve the inspections and defend the status quo cannot credibly claim to provide independent oversight.
For-profit prison corporations make money by cutting costs. In detention facilities, that means reducing spending on food, staffing, medical care and living conditions, which are the very services detainees rely on for survival.
Immigration violations are civil matters, not criminal offenses. Many of the people held in Aurora are asylum seekers or individuals awaiting hearings. They have not been convicted of crimes and many have no criminal history.
Even if the government determines that detention facilities are necessary while cases are processed, those facilities must be run by the government and be accountable to Congress, subject to independent inspection and transparent to the American people.
Congress should act immediately to phase out private immigration detention contracts and bring facilities under direct public control.
