Public Counsel has filed a federal lawsuit challenging unconstitutional detention practices at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, California. Detention cannot mean lawlessness, and being in custody does not strip people of the right to basic medical care, humane treatment, or dignity.
Adelanto is one of the nation’s largest immigration detention centers and the primary place where thousands of people from across Southern California are sent after being apprehended in immigration raids. Yet the conditions people are subjected to inside Adelanto are cruel, inhumane, and degrading—the kind of treatment our laws and our most basic moral commitments forbid.
Detainees are routinely denied urgent medical care: requests for treatment are ignored, delayed, or dismissed as not serious enough to warrant attention. One of our clients lost the tip of his finger, which went untreated for months until the infected wound burst. Another client, who has epilepsy, is denied consistent access to medication and suffers repeated seizures without timely medical response. People with disabilities are neglected and abandoned. At least two people have died in custody—raising grave questions about whether adequate care was ever provided.
Conditions at Adelanto are unsanitary and dangerous. Mold grows on walls. Dormitories have experienced outbreaks of contagious disease, sending people to the hospital. People are forced to live amid filth, hunger, and cold: food is insufficient and sometimes spoiled, drinking water appears dirty and foul-tasting, and thin blankets are inadequate for warmth. When detainees protest these conditions or speak out, they are met with retaliation and punishment, including isolation.
The Constitution does not stop at the doors of a detention center. Every person—regardless of background, status, or skin color—deserves to be treated humanely and with dignity. Our lawsuit seeks to end these dangerous conditions and secure enforceable protections, including adequate medical care, disability accommodations, safe and sanitary conditions, sufficient nutrition, and meaningful oversight.
We are honored to stand with our co-counsel—the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP—and with our courageous clients, who have stepped forward to challenge unlawful detention practices and expose the cruel and inhumane conditions at Adelanto. We will continue to pursue accountability and remain committed to defending the rights and dignity of immigrant communities.
To learn more about L.T. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, visit our litigation page.
