Medical care at center spurs lawsuit
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of immigrants detained at the San Diego Correctional Facility, claiming that denial of adequate medical care has led to disfiguring injuries, untreated illnesses and deaths.
The lawsuit focuses on 11 detainees who lawyers say suffered needlessly because of the incompetence and indifference of officials at the facility.
Among the detainees is a Honduran woman who has not received treatment for a tumor, a Kenyan with bipolar disorder whose tooth crumbled from lack of dental care and a man from Ghana who died after complaining of chest pains, according to the complaint.
The 9-year-old facility southeast of downtown houses about 700 asylum seekers, immigration violators and people awaiting deportation. It is operated by Corrections Corp. of America, a for-profit prison company that received a contract from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE is a branch of the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for housing immigration violators across the country. A spokeswoman for the agency declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.
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