Daijiworld Media Network – Chicago
Chicago, Nov 5: A federal judge reviewing conditions at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, described detainees’ accounts as “disturbing,” “disgusting,” and “unconstitutional.” U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman’s inspection comes amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, Operation Midway Blitz, which has seen over 3,000 arrests since its launch in September.
The facility, located about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago, is a two-story building in an industrial strip that has historically been a processing center, with detainees held for less than 12 hours. Since June, Homeland Security changed its policy to allow detainees to be held up to 72 hours, but testimony on Nov. 4 revealed some detainees stayed as long as 12 days without beds, blankets, or pillows. Judge Gettleman likened the facility to a prison and compared it to prior lawsuits over overcrowded jails.
Detainees testified that they were denied access to attorneys, coerced into signing deportation papers, and left in squalid conditions. Claudia Carolina Pereira Guevara, a mother of two, described signing deportation papers under pressure, unaware that doing so would bar her from returning to the U.S. for 10 years. “I didn’t want to leave my children behind,” she said, breaking down in court.
Judge Gettleman condemned the conditions, saying, “People sleeping shoulder to shoulder, next to overflowing toilets and human waste, that’s unacceptable.” Attorneys for the detainees called for a temporary restraining order to improve conditions and ensure detainees can contact lawyers, arguing access to counsel is critical, especially when officials push detainees to sign voluntary deportation forms.
Homeland Security officials denied the allegations, stating that detainees receive three meals a day, access to water, medical care, and phones to contact family and lawyers. Attorneys for the government acknowledged overcrowding but said detainees were held too briefly for in-person legal visits.
The hearing continues, with Judge Gettleman adjourning the case to Nov. 5 for further proceedings. Meanwhile, controversy over the facility highlights broader debates over immigration enforcement, detainee rights, and the Trump administration’s use of federal powers.