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Los Angeles Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Unsanitary, overcrowded and inhumane: Surge of new detainees at Adelanto brings dire conditions, critics say
ADELANTO, Calif. — As federal immigration agents conduct mass raids across Southern California, the Adelanto ICE Processing Center is filling so rapidly it is reigniting longtime concerns about safety conditions inside the facility. In less than two months, the number of detainees in the sprawling complex about 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles has surged from around 300 near the end of April to more than 1,200 as of Wednesday, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. The largest detention center in California, Adelanto has for years been the focus of complaints from detainees, attorneys and state and federal inspectors about inadequate medical care, overly restrictive segregation and lax mental health services. But now, critics — including some staff who work inside — warn that conditions inside have become increasingly unsafe and unsanitary. The facility, they say, is woefully unprepared to handle a massive increase in the number of detainees. 'It's dangerous,' a longtime Adelanto detention center staff member told The Times, speaking on condition of anonymity because they did not want to lose their job. 'We have no staffing for this and not enough experienced staff. They're just cutting way too many corners, and it affects the safety of everybody in there.' On Tuesday, U.S. Rep Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), toured Adelanto with four other Democratic members of Congress from California amid growing concern over the rapidly increasing number of detainees and deteriorating conditions inside the facility. The facility's manager 'has to clearly improve its treatment of these detainees,' Chu said at a news conference after inspecting the facility for nearly two hours. Some detainees told lawmakers they were held inside Adelanto for 10 days without a change of clothes, underwear or towels, Chu said. Others said they had been denied access to a telephone to speak to loved ones and lawyers, even after repeatedly filling out forms. 'I was just really shocked to hear that they couldn't get a change of underwear, they couldn't get socks for 10 days,' Chu told The Times. 'They can't get the PIN number for a telephone call. What about their legal rights? What about the ability to be in contact with their families? That is inhumane.' Immigration Customs and Enforcement and GEO Group, the Florida-based private prison corporation that manages the Adelanto detention center, did not answer The Times' questions about staffing or conditions inside the facility. The Times also sent questions to Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin, but they were not answered. Over the last two weeks, new detainees have been forced to sleep on the floors of common areas without blankets and pillows and have spent days in the facility before they were provided with clean clothes and underwear, according to interviews with current detention center staff, immigration attorneys, and members of Congress who toured the facility. Some detainees have complained about lack of access to medication, lack of access to drinking water for four hours, and being served dinner as late as 10 p.m. One detainee was not allowed his high blood pressure pills when family tried to bring it in, said Jennifer Norris, a staff attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center. In some cases, she said, lax medical care has led to emergencies: a Vietnamese man passed out last week because staff didn't provide him with his necessary medication. 'It's clear that with the ramp up enforcement, Adelanto just does not have the staff to keep pace with the aggressive enforcement that's happening now,' Norris said. 'It is bizarre. We spend millions of dollars on ICE detention and they're not even able to provide basic necessities for the new arrivals.' Long before Trump administration officials announced in May they were setting a new national goal of arresting 3,000 unauthorized immigrants a day, Adelanto workers worried about understaffing and unsafe conditions as the center processed new detainees. At the end of last year, the facility held only three people. As of Wednesday, the number had swelled to 1,218, according to the ACLU of Southern California. The climb is only partly due to the ICE agents' recent escalation of immigrant raids. The 1,940-bed Adelanto facility has been operating at a dramatically reduced capacity since 2020 when civil rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit demanding a drastic reduction in the number of people detained at Adelanto on the basis that they faced severe risk of contracting COVID-19. A federal judge forced the detention center to release detainees and prohibit new intakes and transfers. But a series of federal court orders this year — the most recent in early June — has allowed the facility to fully reopen just as federal immigration agents fan out into neighborhoods and workplaces. 'As soon as the judge lifted the order, they just started slamming people in there,' an Adelanto staffer told The Times. Eva Bitrán, director of immigrant rights at the ACLU of Southern California, said 'almost everybody' held in the Adelanto facility had no criminal record before they arrived in the detention center. 'But even if they had a criminal record, even if they had served their time in criminal custody and then been brought to the ICE facility, nobody deserves 10 days in the same underwear,' Bitrán said. 'Nobody deserves dirty showers, nobody deserves moldy food.' Mario Romero, an Indigenous worker from Mexico who was detained June 6 at the Ambiance Apparel warehouse in downtown L.A., was one of dozens who ended up in Adelanto. His daughter, Yurien Contreras, said she and her family were traumatized after her father was 'chained by the hands, feet and waist,' taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center downtown and then 'held hostage' in a van from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. with no access to water, food or a restroom. 'Little did we know,' she said, 'it was only the beginning of the inhumane treatment our families would endure.' At Adelanto, she said, officials try to force her father to sign documents without due process or legal representation. The medical care was 'less than minimal,' she said, the food was unsustainable and the water tasted like Clorox. Lucero Garcia told The Times she was concerned about her 61-year-old uncle, Candido, who was detained June 9 as he worked at his job at Magnolia Car Wash in Fountain Valley. But when she visited him Saturday, 'he didn't want to share much,' she said. 'He's worried more about us.' This is not the first time the Adelanto detention center has faced scrutiny. In 2018, federal inspectors issued a report finding 'serious violations' at the facility, including overly restrictive detainee segregation and guards failing to stop detainees from hanging braided bed sheet 'nooses.' Five years later, current and former Adelanto detainees filed a class-action lawsuit against GEO Group, alleging the company 'systematically poisoned' inmates by improperly using toxic chemicals to clean the detention center. GEO Group has denied the claims in the class-action suit. In April, the California Department of Justice released a report that found all of the state's six privately operated immigration detention facilities, including Adelanto, fell short in providing mental health care for detainees, medical record keeping, suicide prevention strategies, and use of force against detainees with mental health conditions. But two staffers who spoke to The Times said they had never experienced such unsafe conditions at Adelanto. As the prison population has increased over the last few months, they said, staff are working long hours without breaks, some even falling asleep driving home after their shifts and having car accidents. Shift duty officers with no security experience were being asked to make decisions in the middle of the night about whether to put detainees who felt threatened in protective custody. Officers, including people from food service, were being sent to the hospital to check on detainees with tuberculosis and hepatitis. 'Everyone's just overwhelmed,' a staffer said. Officers working over their allotted schedules were often tired when they were on duty, another staffer said. In May, a detainee went into anaphylactic shock and ended up intubated in the hospital, the staffer said, because an officer wasn't paying attention or was new and gave the detainee, who's allergic to seafood, a tray that contained tuna. At a May meeting, the warden told all executive staff that they needed to come to work dressed down on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the staffer said, because they would have to start doing janitorial work. On June 2, a detainee at the Annex facility made his way from a medical holding area, through four locked doors, all the way back to his dorm unescorted, the staffer said — a major security breach. 'If he would've wanted to escape he would've been gone,' the staffer said. 'All he did is push the buttons to access the doors and they were open for him, no questions. Apparently, whoever was in central control was too tired to check or too inexperienced.' The detention center was becoming unsanitary, the staffer said, with trash bins not promptly emptied, bathrooms not cleaned and floors not mopped as they should be. As new waves of detainees flooded into the facility over the last two weeks, the staffer said, the facility was chaotic and lacking basic supplies. 'We didn't have enough to provide right away,' they said, 'so we're scrambling to get clothes and mattresses.' Mark Ferretiz, who worked as a cook supervisor at Adelanto for 14 years until April, said former colleagues told him officers were working 16- to 20-hour shifts multiple days in a row without breaks, officers were slow to respond to physical fights between detainees, and food was limited for detainees. 'They had five years to prepare,' Ferretiz, who had served as a union steward, said of his former supervisors. 'I don't know the reason why they weren't prepared.' While the supply shortages appeared to ease some in recent days — a shipment of clothes and mattresses had arrived by Tuesday, when members of Congress toured — the detention center was still understaffed, the current staffer said. Detainees were being served food on paper clam-shell to-go boxes, rather than regular trays, a staffer said, because the facility lacked employees to wash up at the end of mealtimes. 'Trash pickup's not coming fast enough, ' a staffer said, noting that piles of trash sat outside, bagged up, beside the dumpsters. In a statement last week, GEO Group Executive Chairman George C. Zoley said fully opening the Adelanto facility would allow his company to generate about $31 million in additional annualized revenues. 'We are proud of our approximately 350 employees at the Adelanto Center, whose dedication and professionalism have allowed GEO to establish a long-standing record of providing high-quality support services on behalf of ICE in the state of California,' Zoley said. But after touring the facility, members of Congress said officials did not provide answers to basic questions. When Chu asked officials about whether California immigrants were being taken to other states, she said, they said, 'We don't know.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
Soldiers excited (and nerve wracked) to drive tanks in DC military parade
WASHINGTON – On blistering summer days, the sprawling, tree-shaded park on the banks of the Potomac River is usually populated by tourists and June 11, the park was fenced off to civilians, and soldiers in fatigues roamed the area. Dozens of tanks and armored vehicles lined its streets in preparation to roll through the capital this weekend in the Army's 250th anniversary parade. Lt. Kaessey Thompson looked on in anticipation at the tanks. "I'm super excited," said Thompson, who volunteered to ride one of the tanks in the June 14 parade. "It's going to be a great experience." "It's definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Sgt. Timothy Reid, who was standing beside a nearby Bradley armored vehicle. Amid the sweltering summer heat, the soldiers kept busy. Several in helmets climbed on the top of a tank, one wielding a wrench to make adjustments. Another opened the top hatch of a Stryker and deftly climbed inside. Specialist Jonas Chu, a Stryker driver, said the experience means facing "new places, a lot of new crowds, and some pressure, because you're here with the Army." "It's really fun, and honestly nerve-wracking, but I'm excited to be here," he added. Chu said the Strykers are already mission capable – getting them ready for the parade is just a matter of a little shining and polishing. Reid has operated Bradley fighting vehicles for nearly a decade, but never on the streets of a U.S. city. "I've done different trips throughout Germany... but nothing on the level of what's going to be happening in D.C.," he said. The tanks and armored vehicles arrived in Jessup, Maryland, on June 9 after a cross-country journey by train from Fort Cavazos in Texas. They were then strapped onto trucks and hauled to the park less than a mile from the Lincoln Memorial, where they will remain in place until the day of the parade. City officials have voiced concern about the toll the tanks' tracks could take on Washington's roads. In preparation, the Army Corps of Engineers has anchored steel plates along the parade route at spots where the tanks will make a turn. Most of those points are on the traffic circle surrounding the Lincoln Memorial, according to an Army map shared with reporters. Although the Army has said it would pay for any damage to the roads, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said in late May she was still "concerned." Soldiers said they were aware of the controversy surrounding the parade and concerns that it doubled as a birthday celebration for the president but said their work in Washington was focused on their duty as members of the military. "It's a coincidence that it happens on the same day," said Reid, the Bradley operator. Chu, a Stryker driver, said his "main mission" is celebrating the Army's birthday. "Any other ones, that's just an added bonus." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Soldiers excited (and nervous) to drive tanks in DC military parade
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WA doctor among those fired in RFK Jr.'s purge of vaccine panel
(Photo by) Dr. Helen Chu gained attention early in the COVID-19 pandemic as her repurposed flu research project identified the first case of coronavirus spreading person-to-person in the United States. She and her colleagues carried out this work in defiance of the federal government. And her efforts to accelerate the pandemic response later earned her a 'Washingtonian of the Year' award from a state leadership board. After a two-year vetting process, the University of Washington scientist landed a spot last year on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's influential panel of vaccine experts. But on Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired Chu and the 16 other members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. 'I really worry about the health and safety of people in our country and the future of our public health infrastructure,' Chu told reporters Thursday in a call with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray. Kennedy said he wanted to restore trust in a panel he believed was rife with conflicts of interest. And on Wednesday, he named eight replacement members, including several with track records criticizing vaccines. Kennedy himself has a history of promoting skepticism and unfounded theories about vaccines. He came to Olympia in 2019, for example, to advocate against legislation that would have made it harder for parents to opt their children out of the measles, mumps and rubella shot in the middle of a measles outbreak. The medical field largely condemned this week's firings. For over 60 years, the committee has reviewed vaccine efficacy and recommended who should receive which shots. The guidance goes to the CDC director, who usually follows the group's decisions. These recommendations impact what vaccines insurers will cover, as opposed to forcing patients to pay out of pocket. Members typically serve four-year terms. The purge comes on the heels of Kennedy announcing unilaterally that federal health officials would stop recommending COVID vaccines for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. The federal panel is set to meet later this month, with recommendation votes scheduled for several vaccines, including for coronavirus. 'RFK Jr is not just crossing a red line for public health,' said Murray, a Democrat from Washington. 'He is sprinting into dangerous, uncharted territory in support of totally deranged conspiracies, and he is dragging us all along with him.' Chu used the example of a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, to show the importance of the committee's work, and that it's not just a rubber stamp for immunizations. When reviewing data on the proposed vaccine, the panel found a risk of the rare neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barré Syndrome. So Chu, an infectious diseases professor at the UW, and her fellow members decided to recommend the shot only for older adults at a higher risk of getting severe symptoms from RSV. 'I think this example really illustrates the approach that the ACIP takes, that what we do is rooted in science, and that the decisions we make do not necessarily benefit the companies that have invested heavily to develop these vaccines,' Chu said. 'As a result, ACIP is widely regarded as an international gold standard for vaccine decision making.' Lacking trust in the committee's potential recommendations, Chu advised doctors to turn to groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology for science-based vaccine guidance. She worries that turning the previously 'independent, unbiased' committee into something driven by 'one person's beliefs,' Americans will lose trust in national vaccine policy. This could lead to a patchwork of policies that differ state to state, Chu said. 'Washington state is a place where we have experts and scientists who work together,' she said. 'There are other states where this may not exist, or where they may not choose to recommend vaccines, so that is going to create a lot of chaos.' Murray pleaded with her Republican colleagues in the Senate to tell Kennedy his moves are unacceptable. To get confirmed, Kennedy made concessions to moderate Republicans, namely Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, over how much he would disrupt existing vaccine policy.
Wales Online
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Wicked: For Good will be ‘delicate' with Dorothy, director says
Wicked: For Good will be 'delicate' with Dorothy, director says The upcoming blockbuster - which will follow on from the events on 2024's 'Wicked' - will introduce the young girl from Kansas as she embarks on her journey down the Yellow Brick Road (Image: UNIVERSAL PICTURES ) 'Wicked: For Good' director Jon M. Chu has insisted the movie will be "delicate" with Dorothy Gale. The upcoming blockbuster - which will follow on from the events on 2024's 'Wicked' - will introduce the young girl from Kansas as she embarks on her journey down the Yellow Brick Road, and while Chu, 45, has said Dorothy will have a more prominent arrival in the flick than she does in the stage play of which 'Wicked: For Good' is based on, the filmmaker emphasised they would "tread lightly" around the character. Speaking to Vanity Fair about Dorothy and her crew's walk down the Yellow Brick Road, Chu said: "That intersection is the place that we were first introduced to Oz. "We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how it impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does." He added: "We're delicate. We're delicate. We're delicate." The 'Crazy Rich Asians' director emphasised 'Wicked: For Good' is more about the friendship of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) than it is about Dorothy - who was famously portrayed by Judy Garland in the 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz'. Article continues below He explained: "I think the meat of what 'Wicked' is all about happens in movie two. To me, this is why this story exists. "This is where our childhood dreams collide with our adult selves." 'Wicked: For Good' - which will be based on the second half of the Broadway musical - will follow Elphaba and Glinda after they parted ways in the first movie. Now a fugitive, Elphaba flees to the western skies and forests, while Glinda rises as a public figure manipulated by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Chu teased: "Our heart was broken when Glinda can't make the choice that we want her to so badly at the end of movie one, and it feels empowering for Elphaba to fly away from society. "In movie two, we get to see the consequences of those choices. The temperature is up." As the film heads towards its November release, Chu said he was still doing "little tweaks here and there" on 'Wicked: For Good'. He said: "We're almost there. We're inches away. I have a couple choices of things to flip around in the timeline; I can't quite tell. "So I'm at the very last moment. They're trying to rip the movie away from me right as we speak. I will not let it go until they rip it out of my hands." Article continues below While 'Wicked: For Good' will mostly stay true to the stage musical, Chu teased the two new songs written by original 'Wicked' composer Stephen Schwartz that would feature in the movie. He said: "I think it's been reported we have two new songs. They're great additions to this movie. They were necessary in this movie to help tell the story. "To have Stephen Schwartz back behind the keys-it's pretty extraordinary to watch him work."
Perth Now
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Wicked: For Good will be ‘delicate' with Dorothy, director Jon M. Chu says
'Wicked: For Good' director Jon M. Chu has insisted the movie will be "delicate" with Dorothy Gale. The upcoming blockbuster - which will follow on from the events on 2024's 'Wicked' - will introduce the young girl from Kansas as she embarks on her journey down the Yellow Brick Road, and while Chu, 45, has said Dorothy will have a more prominent arrival in the flick than she does in the stage play of which 'Wicked: For Good' is based on, the filmmaker emphasised they would "tread lightly" around the character. Speaking to Vanity Fair about Dorothy and her crew's walk down the Yellow Brick Road, Chu said: "That intersection is the place that we were first introduced to Oz. "We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how it impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does." He added: "We're delicate. We're delicate. We're delicate." The 'Crazy Rich Asians' director emphasised 'Wicked: For Good' is more about the friendship of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) than it is about Dorothy - who was famously portrayed by Judy Garland in the 1939 film 'The Wizard of Oz'. He explained: "I think the meat of what 'Wicked' is all about happens in movie two. To me, this is why this story exists. "This is where our childhood dreams collide with our adult selves." 'Wicked: For Good' - which will be based on the second half of the Broadway musical - will follow Elphaba and Glinda after they parted ways in the first movie. Now a fugitive, Elphaba flees to the western skies and forests, while Glinda rises as a public figure manipulated by the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Chu teased: "Our heart was broken when Glinda can't make the choice that we want her to so badly at the end of movie one, and it feels empowering for Elphaba to fly away from society. "In movie two, we get to see the consequences of those choices. The temperature is up." As the film heads towards its November release, Chu said he was still doing "little tweaks here and there" on 'Wicked: For Good'. He said: "We're almost there. We're inches away. I have a couple choices of things to flip around in the timeline; I can't quite tell. "So I'm at the very last moment. They're trying to rip the movie away from me right as we speak. I will not let it go until they rip it out of my hands." While 'Wicked: For Good' will mostly stay true to the stage musical, Chu teased the two new songs written by original 'Wicked' composer Stephen Schwartz that would feature in the movie. He said: "I think it's been reported we have two new songs. They're great additions to this movie. They were necessary in this movie to help tell the story. "To have Stephen Schwartz back behind the keys—it's pretty extraordinary to watch him work."
