Rights groups seek 'immediate release' of immigrants held at Baker County detention center
Treatment of illegal immigration suspects at Baker County’s detention center “unquestionably worsened in recent months,” civil rights activists are arguing in a new complaint asserting conditions there violate federal standards.
A coalition of rights groups led by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Florida this week asked federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to recommend permanently ending an agreement to house immigration defendants in a wing of the detention center.
“There is extensive evidence that Baker cannot safely care for detained immigrants and people continue to suffer,” the groups contended in an emailed 22-page letter signed by ACLU Florida attorney Katherine Blankenship.
The complaint, which builds on one filed in July, asked ICE officials “to recommend the immediate release — not transfer — of all of the individuals detained in abusive conditions at Baker.”
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The letter also says attorneys were turned away from the jail this month after previously scheduled visits were called off without explanation.
Denying inmates access to attorneys violates national standards the Sheriff’s Office is required to follow to hold federal prisoners, as well as rights guaranteed by the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, Blankenship’s letter said.
A separate letter that rights groups sent to the Sheriff's Office said attorneys had scheduled private meetings with more than a dozen detained people as well as a "know your rights" presentation.
The Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately respond to queries about Blankenship’s letter and about attorney visits being called off.
The detention center, which opened in 2009 and also includes areas for county jail inmates and prisoners for federal court cases, is one of four places in Florida where ICE houses people while immigration and deportation cases are underway.
The facility was built with $45 million in public bonds with the expectation that federal payments for housing ICE prisoners would help finance its operation but shifts in the number of people incarcerated have periodically created strains on the county’s government.
If ICE ever chose to stop housing prisoners in Baker County, it’s unclear what the impact would be on county finances.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Baker County 'cannot safely care for detained immigrants,' groups say
