Facing ongoing mistreatment, organizers detained at the infamous Stewart Detention Center take matters into their own hands
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@freedomforimmigrants.org
LUMPKIN, Ga. — More than 120 individuals detained at the Stewart Detention Center (SDC) in Lumpkin, Georgia, submitted a petition today to local officials and the Biden administration demanding action in response to inhumane conditions and mistreatment at the detention facility, including mold leading to eye conditions, spoiled food causing food poisoning, denial of hot water and medical care neglect. Privately operated by mega prison corporation CoreCivic, Stewart is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.
The petition was filed alongside a civil rights complaint detailing medical neglect and retaliation faced by the organizer of the petition, Sopheak Pal. Another federal civil rights complaint filed in late August describes how the pervasive mold issue has led to serious eye and vision problems; the individual in this complaint has yet to receive proper medical treatment despite losing roughly 50 percent of his vision.
“We are all human, and we should all be treated like humans. At Stewart, they treat us like we’re less than humans, like we’re animals,” said Sopheak Pal, organizer of the petition who is currently detained at SDC. “They look at us like dirt while violating our health. I’ve been in the U.S. my entire life; my friends are here, my family is here, my whole life is here. Even though I went to college and tried to start a business, they still want to deport me for a past conviction that occurred 23 years ago. I thought America was all about second chances, but instead I’m being punished a second time even after I served my time and paid my debt to society.”
Notoriously one of the largest and deadliest immigration detention centers in the country, Stewart is plagued by avoidable deaths, violent use of force by guards, sexual assault, forced labor and other human rights violations. Since 2017 alone, nine people have died at Stewart.
“El Refugio has received a petition with over 120 signatures from people detained imploring for basic human rights, including medical care, quality food and a facility that does not make them ill,” said Johanna Garcia, advocacy coordinator with El Refugio. “The urgency to shut down Stewart Detention Center is not political, it's about basic human dignity. What we know for sure is that detention will not fix a broken immigration system. A prime example is Stewart Detention Center's tragic history of 11 deaths, failed federal compliance and extensive corporate greed. No one benefits from the inhumane treatment of human beings, and now is the time to shut the doors to this antiquated system.”
“We applaud the organizers of this petition and stand in solidarity with them and their demands,” said Amanda Díaz, senior hotline manager at Freedom for Immigrants. “People detained at Stewart are seeking the most basic humane treatment that every person is worthy of receiving. They’re being deprived of their rights and freedom, and even the bare minimum level of hygiene and medical attention. Detention centers like Stewart are fundamentally dehumanizing and part of a broader carceral system designed to inflict harm upon people. The only way to end the abuse at Stewart and uphold human dignity is to free everyone and close its doors for good.”
“The public needs to be aware of what is really happening in our immigration system,” added Pal. “One piece of paper can determine if our friends and neighbors get to have the same rights as everyone else — and whether or not we get thrown away and deported. This is wrong, and our petition is just one way we are coming together to say that all of us, no matter where we were born, deserve to be treated with fairness and dignity.”
The petition organizers are calling for immediate action with the following demands:
Address the mold problems found throughout the detention facility;
Fix plumbing issues, ensuring reliable access to hot water for showers and for the kitchen;
Improved medical and mental health care; petition signatories report difficulty scheduling medical appointments and failure to receive treatment for food poisoning, PTSD, chronic injuries and other issues;
Edible, healthy and safe food;
Bathroom and water access within the law library;
Greater staff accountability (employees often refuse to perform their duties related to individuals’ cases).
Read the list of demands and petition here.
###
Freedom for Immigrants (FFI) is devoted to abolishing immigration detention, while ending the isolation of people currently suffering in this profit-driven system. FFI monitors the human rights abuses faced by immigrants detained by ICE through a national hotline and network of volunteer detention visitors, while promoting community-based services that welcome immigrants into the social fabric of the United States. Learn more: https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/
El Refugio accompanies immigrants at Stewart Detention Center and their loved ones through hospitality, visitation, support, and advocacy. El Refugio envisions a world without immigration detention. Learn more: https://elrefugiostewart.org/en/about