The findings come from Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar, who was assigned by a judge to oversee medical conditions at the California City Immigration Processing Center, a sprawling facility about 75 miles east of Bakersfield operated by private prison company CoreCivic. The federal government purchased the site earlier this month, though CoreCivic continues to run day-to-day operations.

Anandkumar was appointed in March as part of an ongoing lawsuit filed by seven detainees who argue that conditions inside the facility amount to a violation of their due process rights.

In his report, Anandkumar wrote that the center “lacks a reliable system for consistently providing adequate medical care, placing individuals at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm.” He added that the pattern of failures points to systemic problems within the facility’s health care operations rather than isolated lapses.

The doctor was careful to note that individual health care workers were not to blame. Instead, he pointed to understaffing, weak management and insufficient oversight as the root causes. At times, he found, staff members were pulled out of ongoing training sessions to cover shifts because the facility was short-handed.

“As a result, employees who had not completed their own training were, in turn, training new hires,” Anandkumar wrote. “Given the number of patients and the seriousness of their medical and mental health needs, these significant shortcomings contribute to an unsafe environment.”

The monitor identified 13 separate deficiencies within CoreCivic’s medical program at the California City site, including inadequate emergency response, insufficient dental care and poor management of chronic illnesses. He also found that detainees were not given timely access to prescribed medications.

ICE opened the detention center on the grounds of a shuttered state prison and began housing detainees there in August. Just a month later, Disability Rights California, a state advocacy organization, conducted a two-day inspection of the facility and reported that staff were failing to distribute medication for potentially life-threatening conditions and were not scheduling necessary surgeries in a timely manner.

That inspection’s findings closely mirror what Anandkumar documented ten months later, including delayed responses to urgent medical requests and failure to distribute medication for conditions requiring ongoing management, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and seizure disorders.

A CoreCivic spokesperson said the facility offers daily access to physical and mental health services, along with round-the-clock emergency medical care.

“When specialized or advanced care is required beyond what is available on-site, our medical staff coordinates with community physicians, hospitals and specialty providers to facilitate access to medically necessary treatment,” said Ryan Gustin, a CoreCivic spokesperson. “While we work diligently to arrange and facilitate those appointments, the scheduling, availability and capacity of outside providers are not something the facility controls.”

Gustin added that an ICE compliance officer monitors adherence to detention standards at the facility.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of detainees held at the site, alleges that people in custody lack sufficient clothing to withstand cold desert nights and are being denied medical care for life-threatening conditions. The complaint also states that detainees with mobility impairments have been denied wheelchairs, with some unable to bathe or dress themselves without assistance.

Sokhean Keo, one of the detainees named as a plaintiff in the case against ICE, said in a statement distributed by the ACLU that he never received medication prescribed to treat an infection.

“If this system isn’t changed,” Keo said, “sick people are going to die.”

Original source: CalMatters

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Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar, who was assigned by a judge to inspect conditions at the California City Immigration Processing Center, concluded that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not providing detainees with adequate medical care. His report describes detainees going without prescribed medications and waiting months for cancer treatment at the facility, located roughly 75 miles east of Bakersfield.

The center is operated by CoreCivic, a private prison contractor. The federal government bought the property earlier this month, though CoreCivic continues to run day-to-day operations there.

Anandkumar’s appointment stems from a lawsuit filed by seven detainees who argue that conditions inside the facility violate their constitutional right to due process. A federal judge named him as an independent monitor in March to assess the situation firsthand.

In his findings, Anandkumar wrote that the facility “lacks a reliable system to consistently provide adequate health care, placing individuals at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm.” He added that the pattern of problems pointed to systemic breakdowns in how healthcare is delivered, rather than isolated incidents.

According to the report, the shortcomings are not the fault of individual medical staff but stem from deeper issues with staffing levels, management and oversight. Anandkumar noted that employees were sometimes pulled from training sessions to fill gaps in coverage caused by staff shortages — meaning workers who had not completed their own training were left to instruct incoming employees.

“Given the number of patients and the seriousness of their medical and mental health needs, these substantial gaps contribute to an unsafe environment,” he wrote.

The monitor identified 13 separate areas of concern within CoreCivic’s healthcare operations, including shortcomings in emergency response, dental services and the management of chronic illnesses. He also found that detainees were not getting timely access to medications they had been prescribed.

ICE began housing detainees at the site — a former state prison — in August. The following month, the advocacy group Disability Rights California conducted its own two-day review of the facility and reported similarly troubling findings, including failures to provide medication for life-threatening conditions and delays in scheduling necessary surgeries.

The overlap between that September inspection and Anandkumar’s report, issued roughly ten months later, is notable. Both documented slow responses to urgent medical requests and lapses in distributing medication needed to manage conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and seizure disorders.

CoreCivic spokesperson Ryan Gustin defended the facility’s healthcare operations, saying detainees have daily access to physical and mental health services and that emergency medical care is available around the clock. He said that when specialized treatment is needed beyond what’s available on-site, facility staff work to coordinate care with outside hospitals and physicians — though he noted that scheduling and provider availability are ultimately outside the facility’s control.

Gustin added that compliance with detention standards is monitored by an ICE compliance officer assigned to the facility.

The underlying lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, raises additional concerns beyond medical care. Plaintiffs allege that detainees lack adequate clothing to withstand cold desert nights and that some with mobility impairments have been denied wheelchairs, leaving them unable to bathe or dress themselves without assistance.

Among the plaintiffs is Sokhean Keo, a detainee at the facility, who said in a statement released through the ACLU that he never received medication prescribed to treat an infection.

“If there is no change to this system,” Keo said, “sick people are going to die.”

Original source: CalMatters

The post Doctor’s Inspection of California’s Largest ICE Detention Facility Reveals Troubling Conditions, Court-Ordered Report Shows appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

A few weeks ago, a Moreno Valley resident submitted an anonymous Crime Tip through the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department web page. The resident reported a unique looking vehicle seen throughout the city stealing mail and packages left on porches. The Moreno Valley Station’s Robbery/Burglary Suppression Team (RBST) assumed the investigation and followed-up on the lead.

After an extensive investigation, RBST members were led to a 39-year-old Moreno Valley resident by the name of Jason Kelly, who lives on the 24500 block of Jasmine Court. Jason Kelly is also on Post Release Community Supervision (Probation).

On June 15th, RBST members arrested Kelly and searched his residence. RBST located several items inside his residence indicating an illicit credit card fraud and identify theft laboratory, to include, machines used to facilitate credit/debit card fraud, computer equipment used to commit identity theft, several documents containing identifying information for potential unknowing victims of identity theft, burglary tools, washed checks and counterfeit money. RBST also located two firearms, stolen property, and narcotics.

Jason Kelly was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center for possessing firearms illegally, identity theft and fraud related charges, possessing narcotics for sale, and for violating his probation.

This investigation is on-going, and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact RBST member Deputy Passalacqua at (951) 486-6700.

Persons who wish to report criminal activity and wish to remain anonymous can call crime stoppers at 800-78-CRIME (800-782-7463) or 800-47-DRUGS (800-473-7847). You can also leave anonymous information on our Crime Tips Online Form.

For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.

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