Legal Commentary

ICE Investigating Sexual Assault Charges Against Guard at Immigrant Detention Facility

By Jeralyn

A guard at the T. Don Hutto immigrant detention facility in Texas has been fired and ICE is investigating allegations he sexually assaulted women detainees being held for deportation. The prison is privately managed by Corrections Corp. of America, which has been put on probation while the investigation is conducted.

Several women who were held at T. Don Hutto detention facility in Taylor, Texas, were groped while being patted down and at least one was propositioned for sex, ICE said. "We understand that this employee was able to commit these alleged crimes because ICE-mandated transport policies and procedures were not followed," David Sanders, the Homeland Security Department's contracting officer said in a letter to Corrections Corporation of America obtained by The Associated Press.

Obama changed the Hutto facility from a family detention center to one holding only females because of past abuses such as prisoner neglect that resulted in the death of detainees. [More...]

"This case at Hutto, it's inevitable when you are dealing with such a massive web of detention with such little oversight," said Jacki Esposito, policy coordinator for Detention Watch Network, which monitors immigration detention centers.

Hale said ICE is working to prevent the guard under investigation from working again for the federal government and pursuing financial penalties against the company. It has also set up sexual harassment training for detention staff.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 28, 2010 (boomark / email).