ATLANTA, Ga. – Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has released another report detailing alleged incidents of medical neglect in the nation’s federal immigration detention centers.
On Friday, Ossoff released the second report of his ongoing investigation into human rights abuses in U.S. immigration detention: Medical Neglect & Denial of Adequate Food or Water in U.S. Immigration Detention.
The report details 85 reports of medical neglect, including cases that reportedly led to life-threatening injuries and complications, and 82 credible reports of denial of adequate food or water, including cases that reportedly led to malnutrition or dehydration.
The report said the most credible reports of medical neglect and denial of adequate food or water originated at facilities in Florida (45 credible reports), Texas (26 credible reports) and Georgia (22 credible reports).
For example, a U.S. government official working at a U.S. government site where detainees are reportedly being held told the senator’s staff that “ambulances have to come almost every day” and that detainees are “passing out.”
As outlined in the report, a detainee also reported severe gastrointestinal distress while in ICE detention, but there was allegedly a two-week delay to get a medical appointment. The detainee reported suffering for 5 months, repeatedly requesting medical appointments, before receiving an appropriate prescription.
Detainees at one facility reported the water smelled and tasted foul and was an odd color. At that location, facility staff reportedly told a detainee to use that water for formula for a detainee’s baby, who reportedly then suffered diarrhea. Bottled water for the purpose of baby formula was requested but allegedly denied.
In 2024, Ossoff launched an inquiry with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security into delays in deploying licensed child welfare professionals to assist children who are temporarily in U.S. southern border facilities.
In 2022, the senator also led an 18-month bipartisan investigation into medical mistreatment of women in U.S. detention, which uncovered that female detainees at the now-reopened Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia were subjected to “invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures.”
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