This summary about conditions at the Orange County jail was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
New York City Council members and advocates voiced concerns about a lack of Covid-19 protocols, inadequate medical care and insufficient language services at the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen after a rare tour of the facility on Monday.
The latest development follows several months of advocates working to increase public awareness about the conditions at the immigration detention facility.
A thorough visit: Council Member Shahana Hanif, Chair of the New York City Council Committee on Immigration, said the visit to the Orange County jail was “thorough,” and that the group was able to visit every section of the facility that they were hoping to see — including the kitchen and the dental and medical units. But she also noted that they were being “sold to want to like and want to accept this facility.”
Conflicting accounts: Officials at the Orange County jail told the group visiting that detainees receive two rewashable cloth masks. The Undersheriff and officials told the group visiting that when those detained request medical care, they can connect with medical professionals within minutes or hours – but individuals detained told advocates that this was not the case. A detained immigrant said it took seven days to get tested for Covid, and they were held in isolation in a cell for ten days.
Also Read: Activists at Bergen County Jail Protest Detainees Being Moved Out of State
“That’s not medical care, that’s not medical attention,” Council Member Hanif said. “The medical negligence is egregious, and it is profoundly unacceptable, it is disrespectful.”
New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, also present on the tour, condemned conditions at the facility. The group heard from many who were “sick, or suffering other ways, or injured — and not even being able to access care when they were in those instances,” Krishnan said. That included a person with diabetes who said they could not access insulin.
Immigration detention reform: The visit, Krishnan said, reinforced that the state should pass the Dignity Not Detention Act, which is currently in Senate and Assembly Committees. It would terminate all current and future contracts between ICE and immigration detentions in New York State.
“Detention is utterly broken, it cannot be reformed,” Krishnan said. “The only way to fix it is to end it, because no amount of finessing, accreditation or any language can really hide what is happening.”
Reporting by Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, Documented’s Immigration Enforcement Reporter.
STORIES WE ARE FOLLOWING
New York
Court notifications bill moves a step closer to passage: The New York Assembly’s Codes Committee passed the bill, which aims to strengthen immigrants’ right to receive legal advice in criminal court. — Read more
Los Deliveristas Unidos, Worker’s Justice Project, and Lime provide resources to deliveristas: To celebrate Bike to Work Week, the organizations are putting together a series of events, including bike tune-ups and helmet giveaways.
Schumer urges Fox News to cease reckless amplification of ‘Great Replacement’ theory: The letter calls on the network’s leadership team to take responsibility for spreading harmful and racist rhetoric in the wake of a deadly racist rampage in Buffalo. — New York Times
How undocumented immigrants can get their driver’s license in New York: Members of Documented’s WhatsApp community have asked questions about the process of obtaining a license and the safety of their information. — Read more
Around the U.S.
Mayors worldwide look to get involved in immigration: Members of the global Mayors Migration Council are set to deliver a new report highlighting 70 city-based initiatives for immigrants and refugees. — Axios
Supreme Court rules against immigrants in Patel v. Garland: The ruling will bar thousands of people whose applications for green cards and other legal protections are denied each year from appealing those decisions. — Reuters
Labor Secretary urges lawmakers to pass immigration reform: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh told the House Appropriations committee expanding pathways to citizenship for foreign workers is key, not just temporary worker permits. — Bloomberg Law
Washington D.C.
Biden admin. will loosen restrictions on Cuban flights rules: Trump-era restrictions on remittances that immigrants can send to Cuba will also be lifted, and consular services and visa processing will be increased. — AP News
Biden mourns Buffalo victims, promises to “expose” those promoting hateful ideology: The president spoke to victims’ families, local officials and first responders, and warned that the U.S. must not be distorted by a “hateful minority.” — AP News
